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61st Congress! 
2d Session J 



SENATE 



( Document 
1 No. 577 



ANSELM J, McLAURIN 

(Late a Senator from Mississippi) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Sixty-first Congress 
Second Session 



SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
April 2, 1910 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
April 24, 1910 



Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing 



WASHINGTON : : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : : 1*?H 






FEB 1 io;i 
19. ^Sb' 






TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

V 

Page. 

Proceedings in the Senate 5 

Prayer by Rev. U. G. B. Pierce 7 

Memorial addresses g 

I Address of Mr» Money of Mississippi 9 

Address of Mr. Lodge of Massachusetts 16 

Address of Mr. Bailey of Texas 21 

Address of Mr. Gallinger of New Hampshire 24 

Address of Mr. Taylor of Tennessee 27 

Address of Mr. Percy of Mississippi 31 

Proceedings in the House 35 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden 37 

Memorial addresses 39 

Address of Mr. Collier of Mississippi 39 

Address of Mr. Sherwood of Ohio 45 

Address of Mr. Spight of Mississippi 49 

Address of Mr. Gardner of Michigan 52 

Address of Mr. Candler of Mississippi 55 

Address of Mr. Bowers of Mississippi 58 

Address of Mr. Burnett of Alabama . 62 

Address of Mr. Calderhedd of Kansas 65 

Address of Mr. Clark of Missouri ... 70 

Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 73 

Address of Mr. Sisson of Mississippi 82 

Address of Mr. Dickson of Mississippi 88 

Address of Mr. Bennet of New York . 95 

3 



II 



Death of Senator Anselm J. McLaurin 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 

Tuesday, January 4, ipio. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Who art making all 
things new, as we enter upon the labors of the new year grant 
unto us, we pray Thee, a new apprehension of Thy divine 
majesty and a renewed sense of our dependence upon Thee. 
For the tasks that await us Thy strength alone can prepare us; 
and in our fresh sorrow Thy grace alone is sufficient for us. 

Make us glad in Thy salvation, we pray Thee, according to 
the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, and illuminate with 
Thy presence the days wherein we have seen trouble; that Thy 
work may appear unto Thy servants and Thy glory upon their 
children. And so may our God, who hath loved us and given us 
eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort our 
hearts and establish them in every good word and work. And 
unto Thee, our Father, Who art the God of all grace and com- 
fort, be glory and praise on earth and in Heaven, now and 
forevermore. Amen. 

;\Ir. Money. Mr. President, it is my sad duty to announce 
to the Senate the death of Anselm Joseph McL.\urin, a Sena- 
tor in this body from the State of Mississippi, who died at his 



6 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

home at Brandon, Miss., on the cvL-ning of the 22d of Decem- 
ber last. At some future time I shall ask the Senate to stop 
its usual Inisiness and set aside a day that proper tribute of 
respect may be paid to his life, character, and public services. 
I now offer the following resolutions, and ask for their adoption. 

The Vice-President. The Secretary will read the reso- 
lutions. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of the Hon. Anselm Joseph McLaurin, late a Senator from the State of 
Mississippi. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

The Vice-President. The question is on agreeing to the 
resolutions submitted by the Senator from Mississippi. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

Mr. Money. Mr. President, as a further mark of respect 
to the memory of the distinguished dead, I move that the Sen- 
ate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 12 o'clock 
and 8 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, 
Wednesday, January 5, 1910, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

TuESD.w, March j, igio. 

Mr. MonEv. Mr. President, I desire to give notice that on 
the same day (Saturday, April 2, 1910), immediately after the 
exercises commemorative of the late Senator Johnson, of North 
Dakota, I will offer resolutions commemorative of the character 
and life of my late colleague, the Hon. Anselm J. McL.\tRiN. 
I ask unanimous consent that that order be made. 

The Vice-President. Is there objection to the request of 
the Senator from Mississippi? The Chair hears none, and the 
order is entered. 



Proceedings in the Senate 7 

Saturday, April 2, igio. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who hast loved us with 
an everlasting love and hast called us to this da}' of tender and 
reverent memory; hear us, we pray Thee, as we lift to Thee our 
prayer of grateful adoration. 

We remember before Thee Thy servants who have labored by 
our side, and who, having borne the burden and the heat of the 
day, have now gone to their reward. We thank Thee, our 
Father, for these who were leaders of the people by their coun- 
sels, and by their wisdom meet to be rulers. Though their bodies 
are buried in peace, yet shall not their names be forgotten. We 
rejoice that the memorial of virtue is immortal; seeing that 
when it is present men take example of it, and when it is gone 
they earnestly desire it. With their strength we are strong, 
and their faithfulness makes us faithful. Unite us, we prav 
Thee, with the faithful and true, there and here, and join our 
hearts with theirs in one fellowship of the Spirit, one beauty of 
holiness, and one repose on Thee. Amen. 

jNIr. Money. IMr. President, I offer the resolutions which I 
send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. 

The Presidi.N'G Officer (Mr. Purcell in the chair). The reso- 
lutions will be read by the Secretary. 

The resolutions were read, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of Hon. Anselm Joseph McI/AURIN, late a Senator from the State of 
Mississippi. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, the 
business of the Senate be now suspended to enable his associates to pay 
proper tribute to his high character and distinguished public services. 



8 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the 
House of Representatives and to the family of the deceased. 

The Presiding Officer. The question is on agreeing to 
the resolutions. 

The resolutions were unaniniouslv asrreed to. 



Address of Mr. Money of Mississippi 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Money of Mississippi 

Mr. President; Axseum Joseph McLaurin, late a Member 
of this body, was born on the 26th of March, 1848, at the town 
of Brandon, Miss. When an infant he was carried by his 
parents to Smith County and there reared to manhood. Sur- 
rounded by clear streams and sweet air, perfumed by the odor 
of the pines, and on a farm he acquired that intellectual and 
physical stamina which always marked him from boyhood to 
his death. 

Studious and anxious to learn, he applied himself assiduously 
to his books. Possessing a naturally bright and active mind, he 
advanced rapidly in his studies, and though interrupted by 
service in the confederate army, he was, before the age of 
maturity, fully equipped mentally and physically for whatever 
course he might wish to pursue. 

I can see with the mind's eye that life with his parents and 
seven brothers on the Mississippi farm. The two older people 
with eight robust and high-spirited boys at a time when the 
farm life in the South possessed its greatest charm and pro- 
duced the noblest manhood and womanhood the world has seen. 
There where all the family gathered around the table, again at 
evening by the fireside in winter, and in the vine-clad porch in 
summer. Constantly under the advice, precept, and example of 
a father's pride, close under the ever-watchful eye of the tender, 
sympathetic mother, with a strong, Scotch clannish feeling of 
cooperation among the boys — under this influence and in 
this environment he was reared. When 16 years old, young 



lo Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

McLaurin' entered the confederate army and served during the 
remainder of the war. 

Coming home from the hardships of a soldier's life he began 
to equip himself for life's battles amid political and economic 
conditions most threatening to all about him. Large and seri- 
ous thoughts possessed the minds of the people. 

In this environment and e.xcitement mental development was 
rapid, so that, in spite of the difficulties attending, he finished 
the law course and was especially licensed to practice his pro- 
fession before he had reached the age of legal manhood. At 
the age of 23 he won his first political honor by election to 
the responsible office of district attorney. As prosecuting 
officer for the several counties included in the judicial district 
he became rapidly acquainted with the people, learning their 
needs, their hopes, and wishes. In the discharge of the func- 
tions of this important office he represented his district with dis- 
tinguished force and ability and gained the warm approval of 
his constituents. He was elected to the state legislature. His 
service in that body was diligent, practical, and useful, display- 
ing a comprehensive knowledge of the reformed condition of 
things and a ready apprehension of what was necessarv to be 
done. 

In 1890 the State of Mississippi held its constitutional con- 
vention. It was the first Southern State to make any attempt 
to change its organic law so as, if possible, to redeem itself 
from the efi"ects of a too-extended franchise and at the same 
time to keep within the amendments to the Federal Constitution. 
All her sister States have followed the example of Mississippi, 
which from the time of its admission into this Union has led in 
all judicial reforms. 

McLaurin was elected a member of that convention, and that 
itself was a signal honor, because the convention involved such 
momentous consequences, was full of so many grave dangers 



Address of Mr. Money of Mississippi 1 1 

and so many perplexities, that the people had cast about and 
selected the men of the State that were most distinguished for 
their talent, for their courage, for their patriotism, and, above 
all, for their conservatism. The movement was a popular one, 
but was not without opposition. Some of the most distin- 
guished people in the State of Mississippi, holding the highest 
honors which could be conferred by the people, eminent for their 
great abilities and for their patriotism, for love of their people 
and of their State, hesitated to join in the movement. Some of 
them opposed it with vigor, with energy, and with talent; but 
the movement of the people prevailed, and they selected those 
men whom they thought most capable of dealing with the 
momentous questions that would arise. McLaurin became one 
of the most active, diligent, practical, and courageous Members. 

The constructive genius of James Z. George, long an honored 
Member of this Senate, made him the great protagonist of that 
civil drama; and bearing down any opposition by the force of 
his active and virile mind and his undaunted courage, he suc- 
ceeded in directing the framing by that constitutional conven- 
tion of an instrument which has stood the test of the courts and 
has become the model for other States. 

When, in 1894, Senator Edward Carey Walthall retired for 
the last part of a term in the Senate the legislature, which had 
just reelected him for another full term, was in session, and 
McLaurin was elected to fill the resigned portion of that term 
over several very popular and powerful candidates. 

After this, ser\'ing as governor for four years, he met fully 
the hopes and expectations of those who gave him the honor. 
Having no opponent in the convention which nominated him 
for governor, he began his executive work the choice of the 
whole people and under obligation to no faction. With his 
usual energy and industry he administered ]3ublic affairs, giving 
little attention to hostile criticism, which was occasionally 



12 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

evoked by his acts. In following the course marked out for him- 
self he was not indifferent to praise or blame, in fact, he keenly 
appreciated approbation and was sensitive to hostile opinion, 
but his determination was too strong to be changed by one or 
the other. At the expiration of that ser\ace he was elected to 
the Senate over a strong, resourceful, and popular opposition, 
and at last he was reelected for the present term without opposi- 
tion for^ nomination in his party or for election before the 
legislature. 

His career here is familiar to those who sat here with him. 
He was a diligent, industrious, practical, indefatigable, and 
wise committee man. He never shirked any obligation. He 
had a heavy assignment of committee work, and there was 
never any complaint that he shirked or neglected that duty. 
He was .ready in debate, especially upon legal questions. 

While here he endeared himself not only to the Members of 
this body but to all the employees, however humble they 
might be, by the kindly consideration he always showed them, 
by his cheerful good humor, which never flagged. 

His purse — a spare one — was open at all times to the needy, 
whether friend or stranger. His resources of all kinds were 
constantly strained to furnish relief to those encouraged to 
come to him by his well-known disposition to help. He did not 
talk of these things; he simply gave help and went quietly 
his way. 

Senator McL.^I'RIn's noblest virtue was his willingness to 
forget and his ability to forgive. While he compelled his foes 
to feel fully that relationship, yet was he always ready to for- 
give, to fly the flag of truce for purposes of peace. 

He spoke fewer criticisms of those with whom he disagreed, 
said fewer evil things of others than any man I ever knew. 
He was courageous but jiacific, firm but placatory, and I have 
never heard him use those ordinary expressions of the vindictive 



Address of Mr. Money of Mississippi 13 

man about "getting even" with an enemy, "camping on his 
trail," or repaying injury. 

He was remarkably free from bitterness, and never in my 
long and close association with him have I heard a denuncia- 
tion from his lips, yet no opportunity was ever lost to give a 
kindly word of praise for anyone whom he liked. Is, then, 
there a question as to why this man had so many loyal, affec- 
tionate friends at home or why so many of us here loved him? 

As a lawyer he ranked among the first in his State. His 
particular forte was criminal law, and I have heard it said by 
the best judges in the State that for the management of a case 
in court he was without a peer. He had the good fortune, as he 
thought, always to be defending innocent men, and he was so 
thoroughlv enlisted in the cause of his client that he could not 
believe him to be guilty. So he derived a certain satisfaction 
from that fact, which he was very fond of repeating, and he 
called it his good luck that he was never called upon to defend 
a man who was really bad. 

Senator McL.4.urin married early in life a lady who was very 
superior in judgment, in her personal charms, in the softness 
and amiability of her temper. He had a large family, of whom 
seven survive, one boy and six girls— the girls noted for physical 
beauty and for intellectual grace, the boy inheriting the talents 
of his father and pursuing the same profession. 

He was a member, and a consistent one, as far as human in- 
firmities will permit a man of his temperament to be, of the 
]\Iethodist Episcopal Church. He attended its exercises and 
implicitly believed in its creed. He never at any time was 
harassed by metaphysical speculations, never afflicted with con- 
flicting doubts and baflling inquiries into the unknowable. He 
never stopped to inquire of the soul whence, whither, or why. 
He attempted no revival of memory of a past existence, and 
while we have all at different times, throughout all the ages, 



14 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

and in every race of mankind, come to the conclusion that the 
soul is immortal, some having reasoned it out to a conviction 
and some having simply relied upon expectation and the ever- 
recurring hope in what they were taught, he had no doubts upon 
the matter. He trusted himself to the Bible as a guide for his 
faith and practice, and relied upon the kindly assistance of his 
church. 

His name will long exist as a bright star in the broad firma- 
ment of American great names, and the people of his State will 
not forget that kindly nature that sprang from a true democracy. 
It has been remarked over and over again in his own State that 
no man within the State had ever so thoroughly possessed the 
love of the people who met him familiarly. His perfect democ- 
racy, both in politics and in society; his accessibility, his pla- 
cability, his generosity to his family and friends, and his ever 
readiness to sympathize with a neighbor made him the idol of 
those who knew him best. He was a very devoted and loving 
husband and a very fond and indulgent father, and the tender- 
ness with which they clung around and to him marked the 
depth of their affection which was in response to his own. 

With his brothers and with his connections by marriage he 
was the soul of generosity. 

This man who, from his humble beginning, attained all of 
the honors during a period of years that his people could give 
him, trusted in every relation of life, responding fully to the 
expectations of those who honored him, left the scene of his 
activities and his energies when he was beginning to think most 
clearly and to act with most wisdom. 

I have sometimes wondered, when I thought of this good inan 
with whom I was so long associated and for whom I held an 
affectionate friendshi]), why it was that I, so much his senior 
and always so afilictcd, should have lived when he was taken. 



Address of Mr. Money of Mississippi 15 

But that is one of the mysteries of that Providence which orders 
all things well. 

'Tisonly a moment God chastens with pain, 
Joy follows on sorrow like sunshine on rain. 

This the family of this good man can take for their comfort, 
and — 

Let them bear what God on their spirit shpU lay. 
Be dumb; but when tempted to murmur, pray. 

Mr. President, it is impossible for me to express what I feel 
when I speak of my late associate. The sympathy that we had 
in our public official business, the conferences we held, the 
deference which he, without any merit on my part, was accus- 
tomed to show to my opinion, the readiness with which he was 
willing to come to terms on anything in dispute, and that ever- 
considerate kindness which he showed to me awakened my live- 
liest appreciation and deserves and has my gratitude. 

There is nothing I can say about McL.^urin in his official 
career here that would be new to the Senate, but to say that 
he was approved at home is merely to say that the people who 
elected him knew him. 



l6 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Lodge of Massachusetts 

Mr. President, the formal eulogy, always difficult, seems 
most unsatisfying and insufficient where the affections are 
engaged, where the stroke of death has fallen all too soon, 
where a gap has been made in friendship which may close 
but can never be filled. In speaking of Senator McLaurin I 
can think only of the friend and not of the public man. As 
wide apart in politics as our States are on the map, my relation 
with him was wholly that of a warm personal friendship. I 
knew, of course, of his eminence at the bar of his own State, of 
his power with a jury. I knew that he had been governor of 
Mississippi — an excellent administrator, popular and beloved. 
I was familiar with his work here, with his ability in debate, 
with his care and good sense as a legislator, and with his courage 
of conviction that never failed. Others will speak of his attri- 
butes and career as a public man and of the character and 
quality of his ])ublic service with a more intimate knowledge 
than I possess and better than I could hope to do. I should 
like for my part to give, if I can, the impression which he made 
on me as a friend and as an associate in the work of the Senate, 
especially on the Immigration Commission, wholly removed 
from the differences of party politics and policies. 

I was here when Mr. McI.auri.n entered the .Senate, but dur- 
ing his first period of service I only knew him slightly. Then 
he left us to become governor of his State, and it was after his 
return, and during his second term as Senator, that I came to 
know him well, to learn what a delightful companion he could 
be, to appreciate his humor and kindliness, and to understand 
the qualities which made all his friends regard him with so 
much afTeclion. .Some of those qualities of mind and heart lay 
upon the surface, others were deeper and less obvious. 



Address of Mr. Lodge of Massachusetts 17 

In trying to depict him as he seemed to me in hfe and as he 
seems to me now even more strongly in memory, there is one 
word which I must use but which I can not employ without ex- 
planation. Merely to apply it and pass on would only leave 
upon the record a commonplace and perfunctory phrase, and 
however inadequately I may speak I can not suffer any words 
of mine to appear perfunctory when uttered over the grave of 
a man toward whom I felt as I did to Senator McLaurin. 
Therefore I musi try to explain what the word I am about to 
use means to me when I apply it to my dead friend. 

Among the many excellent words which have been driven into 
exile, spoiled, discredited, vulgarized by misuse, abuse, and in- 
discriminate and meaningless application none has fared worse 
than those fine old words "gentleman" and "lady." They have 
been flung about as if they merely indicated sex and species, 
and most people shrink from them because they seem to have 
lost reality and become a kind of cast-off finery. They have 
been treated as if they did not possess a deep significance, all 
the deeper as the idea of rank and artificial distinction has 
faded from them and been replaced by a conception of charac- 
ter and conduct, of manners and beliefs which no other phrase 
conveys. Yet it is sometimes impossible to express one's 
thought except by using the word "gentleman," although it 
should never be employed lightly or unadvisedly. Even where 
it is properly used and justly applied it is too often narrowed 
by coupling with it qualifications of place or time, like "a fine 
old English gentleman," or "a gentleman born," or "a gentle- 
man of the old school." To do this is to confuse the incidental 
and accidental with the permanent and essential. Manners 
vary with place and time; they are important, but after all are 
only "letters commendatory" as Queen Isabella called them. 
Customs and standards of behavior change, but a gentleman in 
the highest and truest acceptation must always and everywhere 
67675° — S. Doc. 577, 61-2 2 



1 8 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

and at all epochs have been the same, for the word could not 
otherwise fulfill the idea which it conveys and which has been 
slowly formed through centuries of time. Yet clear as the con- 
ception is, definition in language is almost hopelessly difficult. 
None of the many hitherto attempted, and their name is 
legion — not even the best — is wholly satisfactory. Neverthe- 
less, every one knows what the word in its highest significance 
means. "Honor and shame from no condition rise." A plow- 
boy may be a gentleman and so may an earl, but not because 
the one happens to be a peer and the other a lad from the fur- 
row. We know instinctively what we mean when we say 
"gentleman," even if we can not express it, just as we know 
without analysis that — 

.\bsent thee from felicity awhile — 
is noble and beautiful verse and that — 

The world's a bubble and the life of man 
Less than a span — 
is not. 

Take two of the greatest of the sons of men, Caesar and 
Napoleon. Although it would require many pages to tell my 
reasons, I am none the less sure that the Roman was a gentle- 
man and that the Corsican, for all his marvelous genius, was 
not. The greatest soldier and one of the greatest diplomatists 
produced by the English-speaking race was the first Duke of 
Marlborough; one of the greatest men of ail lime was George 
Washington. I am sure that George Washington was also a 
great gentleman and that John Churchill was not. When 
Thackeray sought to show that George IV, commonly called 
in his day "The first gentleman in Europe," was the reverse 
of evcrvlhing that a gentleman ought to be, he contrasted the 
King at his coming-out ball as Prince of Wales with Washing- 
ton resigning his command at Annapolis. It is a very noble 



Address of Mr. Lodge of Massachusetts 19 

passage, and then Thackeray tries to define a gentleman. Per- 
haps no one has come nearer to the ideal we all have in our 

minds. 

WTiat is it to be a gentleman? 

He asks: 

Is it to have lofty aims, to lead a pure life, to keep your honor virgin, to 
have the esteem of your fellow-citizens and the love of your fireside, to bear 
good fortune meekly, to suffer evil with constancy, and through evil or good 
to maintain truth always? Show me the happy man whose life exliibits 
these qualities, and him we will salute as gentleman, whatever his rank 
may be. 

With these words on my lips let me now say that what I felt 
most strongly in Senator McL.'\urin was that he was such a 
thorough gentleinan. As I saw him he was always a kind, 
gentle, generous, loyal friend. Thackeray, if I may quote him 
once more, defined the "snob," whom he made the subject 
of the most ferocious and most brilliant satire of the last cen- 
tury, as one "who meanly admires a mean thing." Senator 
McL.M'Rix was incapable of mean admiration of anything, most 
of all of a mean thing. He was as free from envy as he was from 
subserviency. He grudged no man good fortune; he bent the 
knee neither to place nor power, least of all to mere money, the 
god of modern idolatry. 

Some years ago I asked him to do me a favor, to give me an 
assurance which would enable me to go home on an errand of 
great importance to me. He probably forgot it all and never 
thought of it again. I have never forgotten what he said and 
never can. The words he used as he gave me the assurance I 
asked revealed to me in a flash a noble, loyal, and generous 
heart ; a quick and comprehending sympathy only too rarely 
found. I felt that here was a man to whom I could intrust my 
honor nr my fortune or the welfare of those I love better far than 
aught else the world can give. I felt that he would guard a 



20 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

trust more sacredly than his own life, as jealously as his own 
honor, and rather than fail would fall with it as "Good Sir 
James" of Douglas fell among the Moorish squadrons with the 
heart of the Bruce locked in its jeweled casket beneath him. 
The feeling and the faith he then inspired in me have never 
changed. His death only renders them more vivid and my 
sorrow more keen as I make record of them here. 



Address of Mr. Bailey of Texas 21 



Address of Mr. Bailey of Texas 

Mr. President, during the twenty years that I have served 
in the two Houses of Congress I have never before partici- 
pated in a memorial service, but my relations with Senator 
McLaurin were such that 1 am not willing for these exer- 
cises to close without expressing that affectionate regard in 
which I cherished him for so many years. We were born in 
counties which touch each other, and he was the first man of 
political distinction w-hose personal acquaintance it was my 
privilege to enjoy. I was then a mere boy, and though he was 
himself a very young man, he had won a high place in the con- 
fidence and esteem of the people of Mississippi. It happened 
that my father helped to secure for him the first nomination 
which his people ever bestowed upon him, and many years 
after that he repaid that kindness by helping to secure for me 
the first nomination which I ever received at the hands of 
the people. 

From the first day I knew him until he passed from amongst 
us there was never a moment that I did not love him. Thrown 
with him in the most intimate association, which the lawyers 
can well understand, or at least those of them who have prac- 
ticed law at the circuit, brought in close contact with him while 
we were attending court in the interior counties, which were not 
reached by the railroad, and there for a week at a time, through 
the dav in the court room and during the night in an old- 
fashioned country tavern, I learned to know him as men come 
to know each other under such associations. 

I have seen him under circumstances that tried a man as by 
the fire, but I never knew him to do anything or to say any- 
thing that his friends could not remember with satisfaction. 



22 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

He was, as the Senator from Massachusetts [Mr. Lodge] 
has so well said, preeminently a gentleman, and he was more, 
if a man can be more than that. He was as loyal a friend as 
ever breathed the breath of life, and was as unselfish a patriot 
as ever ser\^ed a country. Gentle as a woman and amiable as 
any man ought to be, he was yet as firm against those who 
entreated him to do what his conscience would not permit as 
any man I have ever known. He never betrayed a trust or 
deserted a friend, though he did sometimes practice the virtue 
of forgiving an enem)'. 

Confiding as a child, I have known his confidence to be 
abused, but I never heard him utter a complaint against even 
those who abused it. He lived in that sublime philosophy 
which teaches us that it is better to have our confidence be- 
trayed by some men than it is to lose our confidence in all 
men. 

Not only, Mr. President, was he all that a man, a neighbor, 
a friend, a citizen, and a public servant should be, but to all 
those personal qualities he added an intellectual power which 
was never fully appreciated in this Chamber. Though he com- 
manded the respect of every Senator on both sides, and though 
his opinions were received wdth a certain deference, yet as one 
who loved him more and more than did anybody who did not 
bear his blood, I know that highly as he was appreciated by all 
here, he was still not appreciated as he would have been had 
God spared his life and his people continued him in their ser\^- 
ice, because I know the quality of his intellect and I know that 
it would have elevated him to a still higher place in this body. 

I have seen him in the court room, where he was almost 
invincible. Indeed, Mr. President, I say it with affection, but I 
say it because it is the truth, he was almost an obstruction to 
the administration of justice. He could come nearer, in his 
addresses to the jury, "making the worse appear the better 



Address of Mr. Bailey of Texas 23 

reason," than any man whom it has ever been my privilege to 
hear on frequent occasions. The records of the courts in the 
State where we were born and where his splendid talents were 
employed bear ample witness of his power in that respect ; and 
perhaps the highest tribute that I can pay to him, and when 1 
have said that I am done, is to say that he was a great and 
successful criminal lawyer, who never engaged in criminal 
practices. 



24 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Gallinger of New HAMFSfflRE 

Mr. President, others will speak at length and with particu- 
larity of the life and services of our departed associate, the Hon. 
Anselm J. McL.^URIN, of Mississippi. For me a few simple 
words of regard and appreciation will suffice. 

I served with Mr. McL-AURI-N for a considerable time on an 
important committee, and in that way learned to admire his 
industry and ability and to highly esteem him for qualities of 
heart and mind that endeared him to all with whom he came 
in contact. I counted him as my friend, and his death came to 
me in the nature of a personal bereavement. 

Mr. President, John Fiske, in his posthumous monograph on 
Life Everlasting, gives an admirable description of the faith 
of to-day in immortality; a faith which pictures our indestruct- 
ible consciousness of a future life. His statement expresses 
what science hints at, and what philosophy confirms, as to the 
world beyond. These are his words: 

That solemn moment in which, for those who have gone before and for us 
who are to follow, the eye of sense beholds naught save the ending of the 
world, the entrance upon a black and silent eternity, the eye of faith 
declares to be the supreme moment of a new birth for the disenthralled soul, 
the introduction to a new era of life compared with which tlie presetU one 
is not worthy of the name. Who cati tell but that this which we call life 
is really deatli, from which what we call death is an awakening? I'rom this 
vantage ground of thought the human soul comes to look without dread upon 
the termination of this terrestrial existence. The failure of the bodily 
powers, the stoppage of the fluttering pulse, the cold stillness upon the 
features so lately wreathed in smiles of merriment, the corruption of the 
tomb, the breaking of the tics of love, the loss of all that has given value 
to existence, the dull blankness of irremediable sorrow, the knell of ever- 
lasting farewells — all this is seized upon by the sovereign imagination of 
man and transformed into a scene of transcending gloni", such as in all the 



Address of Mr. Gallinger of New Hampshire 25 

vast career of the universe is reserved for humanity alone. In the highest 
of creatures the divine immanence has acquired sufficient concentration 
and steadiness to survive the dissolution of the flesh and assert an individ- 
uality untrammeled by the limitations which in the present life everywhere 
persistently surround it. Upon this view death is not a calamity, but a 
boon; not a punishment inflicted upon man, but the supreme manifestation 
of his exceptional prerogative as chief among God's creatures. 

yir. President, as I recall the fact that of the large number 
of Senators who were here when I became a member of this 
body only six remain, one of whom is to-day hovering between 
life and death, I am forcibly reminded that those of us who 
still remain will soon join our late associate, and the contempla- 
tion of that thought leads me to quote a verse from a little 
poem entitled "Sit closer, friends:" 

Again a parting sail we see, 

Another boat has left the shore: 
A kinder soul on board has she 

Than ever left the land before : 
And as her outward course she bends. 

Sit closer, friends. 

;\Ir. !McLaurin, whose untimely death we all deeply deplore, 
belonged to a class of men not too common in this country. He 
was primarily a gentleman — a gentleman at all times and under 
all circumstances; a characteristic which the distinguished 
Senator from Massachusetts so interestingly dwelt upon. His 
hand grasp was inspiring, and his friendly greeting was con- 
tagious. There was a heartiness and sincerity in his manne; 
that endeared him to all with whom he came in contact, and 
his warmth of heart and manly conduct will never be forgotten 
by those who were privileged to know him as we knew hini. 

Men like Senator McLai'rin have accomplished great results 
and have left their impress on the laws and institutions of our 
country. A farmer's boy, a soldier, a student, a lawyer, a 
state official, and a Senator of the United States; what a record 



26 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

that is for one to achieve practically unaided and alone! It 
represents energy, industry, integrity, ambition, and courage. 
It means that obstacles were met and overcome, and that suc- 
cess was wrought by patient endurance and a sublime faith. 
Glancing back over his career, when he had gained the coveted 
place in the Senate, he might well have looked forward to the 
accomplishment of still greater things for his State and the 
Nation. And in this body he did not disappoint those who 
admired and trusted him. He was a good vSenator, attentive 
to his duties, courteous to his associates, and sincere and honest 
in his advocacy of public measures. He was a party man, but 
not a bigot. He believed in the principles and policies of the 
Democratic party, but he cheerfully yielded to others the right 
to differ from the beliefs that he held. He was a man of high 
ideals and lofty purposes. Full of humor, he was also a man 
of deep convictions and serious thought. 

In the death of Senator McLaurin the State of JNIississippi 
lost a faithful and distinguished servant, and those of us who 
served with him here cheerfully bear testimony to the fact that 
the Senate of the United States will long miss his genial per- 
sonality, his earnest labors, and his devoted service. His death, 
so sad and unexpected, is another reminder of the inevitable 
and should serve as an incentive to loftier purposes and nobler 
deeds on the part of those of us who are left to continue the 
labors in which he so lately participated. He is gone, but his 
memory will remain an enduring monument to an honorable, 
upright, and distinguished life. 



Address of Mr. Taylor of Tennessee 27 



Address of Mr. Taylor of Tennessee 

;\Ir. President, to-day the curtain has fallen upon the turbu- 
lent scenes of political discussion; the swords of contention are 
sheathed, and this great forum of national hope and glory is 
turned into a pantheon of memory. 

Another noble actor has made his final exit from the stage 
of human life, and we lay aside the cares and responsibiUties 
of public duty to pay tribute to the blessed dead. 

AnsElm J. ^McLaurix, who but a little while ago so ably rep- 
resented his State in this body and who seemed so full of health 
and hope and energy, in the very noontide of his splendid career 
has gone from the clamorous councils of men to the peaceful 
silence of the grave; but he shall not sleep alone there, for — 

All that tread the globe 
Are but a handful to 
The tribes that slumber in 
Its bosom. 

And all who breathe to-day, and all the generations yet to 
come, must feel the sting that stilled his heart, and go hence 
and make their beds with him. 

We shall not see our beloved colleague again in this world, 
but the influence of his beautiful character and charming per- 
sonality still lingers here, like the fragrance of roses that are 
faded and gone. 

History may not write him as great as the greatest states- 
man of his day, for he did not employ his faculties as the rep- 
resentative of any special interest on this floor; yet he was great 
in the superb equilibrium of his intellectual and moral powers, 
and he towered above the majority. He did not jut out like a 
monolith, but his sky line was high and even and showed few 



28 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

gaps in his journey from the cradle to the grave. He did not 
aspire to rule the Nation, yet he ruled supreme in the hearts of 
his own people. 

He had a long and eventful career, which culminated in his 
election as governor of Mississippi and then to the United States 
Senate in 1900. He was reelected in 1906, but in the midst of 
his service to his people and his country, after answering to the 
roll call of the Senate for nine years, he was suddenly summoned 
to answer to the roll call of eternity. 

Mr. President, I believe in the philosophy which teaches that 
all things were created for a purpose, and that every child born 
into the world is intended to play some legitimate and honorable 
part in the great drama of human destiny, looking to the final 
perfection and ultimate harmony of all the elements of society 
•and civilization and the fulfillment of the prophecy that "every 
knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God." 

The noble McL.M'rin played his role, and played it well. He 
was one of the stars in the national cast of characters. He was 
a veritable tribune of the people, believing in their sovereignty 
and their virtue and always ready to defend them with the 
courage of a lion. He was a lawyer of high attainment and a 
close student of civic science. He had the faculty of concen- 
tration, and there was no shield of sophistry that was proof 
against the shafts of his reason; no helmet of hypocrisy that 
could withstand the battle-ax of his logic. 

He knew how to sympathize with the poor, for he himself had 
suffered the privations that followed in the wake of civil war. 
He had toiled in the fields for his daily bread. He had fought 
his own way into prominence in his chosen profession and 
demonstrated the glorious truth that while poverty may hum- 
ble the body it can not beggar the intellect nor starve the 
aspirations of the soul. 



Address of Mr. Taylor of Tennessee 29 

Undaunted by the frowns of opposition he pressed through 
the thorns of obscurity and chnibed to the very summit of 
popular favor. Undismayed by the desolation of war that sur- 
rounded him, he crossed swords with adversity and won the 
jeweled hand of success. He was not permitted to grow old, 
but while we can not fathom the mysteries of life and death, 
let us hope and believe that He who holds the universe in the 
hollow of His hand, yet even marks the sparrow's fall, knows 
best when to call us all, and that our colleague and friend has 
onlv obeved the summons to a higher destiny in a brighter and 
better world. 

He lived and loved, and labored and passed away, but is it 
all of life to live? Is it all of death to die? A still small voice 
in every human heart answers "No." The earth beneath us 
and the stars above answer " No." The voice of Christ whispers 
across the long stretch of nineteen centuries "No." The nmlti- 
tudinous voices of earth and air are prophecies of a world to 
be. The flowers of the fields rising from countless graves; the 
unfolding leaves of the forest heralding the approach of sum- 
mer; the orchards and the meadows bursting into bloom, and 
myriads of winged minstrels filling the world with melody, are 
all the evangels of the Lord, demonstrating before our very 
eyes the universal victory of life over death. 

'Sir. President, look how the rose hears the far-away call of 
the sun and blushes in the presence of its God. Look how the 
violet comes forth from its tiny tomb and opens its glad blue 
eyes to greet the spring. Are they not God's own answers to 
the question; "If a man die, shall he live again?" 

If the germs of inanimate life, buried beneath the sod, so 
surely respond to the silent command -of summer, who can 
doubt that man shall spring up out of the unconscious dust into 
eternal life when God shall call ? Can it be that the grass and 



30 



Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



I 



the flowers are resurrected from the sod of earth, while man, 
for whom they were made, must sleep on forever? 

Sir, not only reason, but all nature, teaches us the welcome 
lesson of immortality; and, although our tongues may some- 
times deny the faith that is within us, yet when we look down 
upon the pallid faces and folded hands of our blessed dead, the 
sweet consciousness steals over us that — 

Beyond the waking and the sleeping, 
Beyond the smiling and the weeping — 

we shall meet them again. 



Address of My. Percy of Mississippi 31 



Address of Mr. Percy of Mississippi 

Mr. President, other Senators more familiar, through personal 
contact and intimate association in the Senate Chamber, with 
the career of Senator McLaurin in this body have borne gen- 
erous tribute to the high esteem in which he was held by his 
brother Senators and to the achievements which mark his 
senatorial career; and now just a word of tribute from me to 
the man, A. J. JIcLaurin, as he was known to the people of 
Mississippi. The salient features of his life are found in the 
meager biography in the Congressional Directory. Born in 
Jlississippi in 1848; reared on a farm; a soldier, answering his 
country's call at 16; admitted to the bar at 20, from the pro- 
ceeds of his_practice caring for and educating a family of 10 
children; district attorney; a member of that constitutional 
convention of his State which framed the constitution that has 
served as a model for every one adopted since by a Southern 
State; governor once; and three times elected United States 
Senator, the biography is simple and unostentatious, as was the 
subject of it, whose approval it had. Yet it is the story of a 
life to which it is meet and proper that we should pay our trib- 
ute of esteem and affection, and it is fitting that this tribute 
should be spread on the records of this august body — 

That, perhaps, another. 

Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother. 

Seeing, may take heart again. 

For it tells of a struggle, without the adventitious aid of 
wealth or influence, from the farm to the highest positions of 
honor and trust within the gift of the people of a State. It is 



32 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

the kind of a lifu story that carries inspiration and hope with 
it; that tells of equal opportunity to all in this good land of 
ours. Life to him was a struggle, a battle — never a "primrose 
path of dalliance." He entered the arena of state politics at 
a time when Mississippi's best and brainiest men were strug- 
gling for political place and preferment. He pressed steadily 
forward to the goal of his ambition, lowering his lance before 
no foe, however redoubted he might be. Strong, virile, aggres- 
sive, he became a picturesque, dominating personality in state 
politics. His enemies were many, and the clan McLaurin, com- 
posed of his seven brothers, numerous relatives, and the host of 
friends who loved and acknowledged him as chieftain, was the 
center of many a bitter fight; but the hills and dales of bonnie 
Scotland never boasted of a clan more loyal to its chief nor of 
one more eager to render un([uestioning obedience to his every 
behest, and again and again it followed him to hard-won victory. 
There were no deserters from these ranks, for unconsciously, 
wdthout effort, he practiced the precept — 

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, 
Grapple them to th)- soul with hooks of steel. 

And well he repaid their devotion. Kind and loving as a 
father, the humblest follower knew that "Anse," as he loved 
to have them call him, was his truest friend and protector. 
In those who followed him he sa\y few faults, and for them 
his heart and purse were always open. He lived close to the 
heart of the plain people. He understood and sympathized 
with their every hope, aspiration, and need, and lie bound them 
to him with ties of love and gratitude. 

And so he won his way to this Senate Chanilx-r; and here, 
as the years went by, the unfailing courtesy, the kindlv dignity, 
the patriotism which he brought to the discharge of his high 
duties won the hearts of those who had oft opposed him, Hver 



Address of Mr. Percy of Mississippi 33 

growing and broadening with the flight of time, in conquering 
others he had conquered self, for — 

He held it truth, with him who sings 

To one clear harp in divers tones, 

That men may rise on stepping stones 
Of their dead selves to higher things. 

And then, when Hfe seemed to stretch fairest before him, the 
sagacious leader, the loyal friend, the faithful husband, the 
tender, loving father, went to join the loved ones of the clan who 
waited for him on the farther shore. 

Mr. President, in behalf of the Senators from North Dakota, 
my colleague and myself, I now ofTer the resolution I send to 
the desk and ask for its adoption. 

The Presiding Officer. The Secretary will read the 
resolution. 

The Secretary read the resolution, as follows: 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of Mr. John'SON 
and Mr. McLaurin, the Senate do now adjourn. 

The PrEsidixg Officer. The question is on agreeing to 
the resolution submitted by the junior Senator from Mississippi. 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 o'clock 
and 10 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until Monday, April 
4, 1 910, at 12 o'clock meridian. 
67675°'^S. Doc. 577, 61-2 3 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 

Tuesday, Jaiitiary 4, igio. 

The House met at 1 2 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., oflfered the fol- 
lowing prayer: 

Once more, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in the dis- 
pensation of Thy providence are we brought face to face with a 
new year. The past is gone, with its joys and sorrows, hopes 
and disappointments, victories and defeats, leaving us the richer, 
if we are wise, by its experiences. Help us, we beseech Thee, 
with open hearts, clear conceptions, noble aspirations, and high 
ideals to go forw^ard with faith and confidence to whatsoever 
Thou hast in store for us, that we may use the talents, few or 
many, which Thou hast bestowed upon us, that they ma)' in- 
crease to our good and add somewhat to the public weal, seek- 
ing ever to find the best that is in ourselves and the best that 
is in our fellow-men; that we may lend a helping hand to 
others and glorify Thy holy name, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Amen. 

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Parkinson, one of its 
clerks, announced that the Senate had passed without amend- 
ment bill and joint resolution of the following titles: 

The message also announced that the Senate had passed the 
following resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of the Hon. Anselm Joseph McL.\rRi.\-, late a Senator from the State of 
Mississippi. 

Resolved, That the Secretary' communicate a copy of these resolutions 
to the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the mcmor)' of the deceased 
the Senate do now adjourn. 

35 



36 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

Mr. Bowers. Mr. Speaker, the House has been advised by 
a resolution of the Senate, communicated to this body, of the 
recent death of Hon. AnsELM Joseph McLaurin, late a Senator 
from the State of Mississippi. At a future time I shall ask 
that a day be set aside in order that the House may pay proper 
tribute to his memory. In the meantime I offer the following 
resolutions, which I send to the desk and ask to have read. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death of 
Hon. Anselm Joseph McLaurin, a Senator of the United States from the 
State of Mississippi. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased Senator. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now adjourn. 

The SpE.aker. The question is on agreeing to the resolutions. 
The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

Friday, February i8, ic^io. 

Mr. Spight. Mr. Speaker, at a former day of this session 
resolutions were presented to the House announcing the death 
of Hon. A. J. McLaurin, late a Senator from the State of 
Mississippi; and it was stated at that time that at a future 
period a day would be set apart for memorial exercises. In 
that connection I desire to present the following resolution. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Mississippi asks unani- 
mous consent for the present consideration of the resolution 
which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Ordered, That there be a session of the House on Sunday, the 13th day 
of March, at 12 o'clock, to be set apart for addresses on the life, character, 
and public services of Hon. A. J. McLaurin, late a Senator from the State 
of Mississippi. 

The question was taken, and the resolution was agreed to. 



Proceedings in the House 37 

Sunday, April 24, igio. 

The House met at 12 o'clock ni. 

Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., as 
follows : 

O, Thou great Father Soul, in whose boundless and unchang- 
ing love we live and move and have our being, we bless Thee for 
the sanctity of home with all its sweet and tender associations, 
for our Republic with its sacred institutions and high ideals, for 
every loyal citizen throughout its length and breadth, for its 
Constitution, which recognizes no guild, no party, no section, 
no creed, but would guarantee to all liberty, justice, equal rights. 

We are here to-day in memory of one of her noble sons who, 
early in life thrown upon his own resources, by dint of industry 
and perseverance car\'ed for himself a record worthy of all 
emulation. His loyalty, ability, and integrity, recognized by the 
people of his vState, called him to service, which was so willingly 
and faithfully performed that he was honored by them with a 
place in the United States Senate, where he acquitted himself 
with honor to his State and Nation. 

We thank Thee for our religion, with its hopes and promises 
ever inspiring men to noble life and faithful sen.-ice. Senator 
McLaurin recognized its great truths and identified himself 
with it and died a member of his chosen church. 

This be the comfort of those who knew and loved him. Let 
the everlasting arms be about the members of his family and 
help them to look forward with faith and confidence to that 
better life where death never enters; and everlasting praise be 
Thine, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the special 
order for the day. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Ordered, That there be a session of the House on Sunday, the loth day 
of April, at 12 o'clock, to be set apart for addresses on the life, character, 



1 



38 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

and public services of Hon. A. J. McLaurin, late a Senator from the State 
of Mississippi. 

Mr. Candler. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolution, 
which I send to the desk and ask to have read. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Whereas the House of Representatives has heard with profound sorrow 
of the death of Hon. A. J. McLaurin, late a Senator of the LTnited States 
from the State of Mississippi: Therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended that oppor- 
tunity may be given for tributes to the memory of the late Senator A. J. 
McLaurin, and as a particular mark of respect to the memorj' of the late 
Senator A. J. McLaurin, and in recognition of his eminent ability and 
distinguished service, the House, at the conclusion of these .memorial 
proceedings, shall stand adjourned. 

That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to the family of the late 
Senator A. J. McL.'vurin, and 

That the Clerk be ordered to communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to 
the resolutions. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 






Address of Mr. Collier of Mississippi 39 



Memorial Addresses 



Address of Mr. Collier of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: AnsELm Joseph McLaurix, son of Lauchlin 
and Ellen Tullus McLaurin, was born at Brandon, Jliss. At the 
age of 16 he entered the confederate army. After the great 
struggle between the vStates was over, he spent two years at 
the Summerville Institute. In 1868 he began the practice of 
law. Three years afterwards he was elected district attorney. 
He rapidly attained eminence as a lawyer, especially in the 
criminal branch of the profession. In 1879 Senator McLaurin 
was elected to the state legislature. He was presidential 
elector at large in 1888 and delegate to the constitutional con- 
vention in 1890. In 1894 he was elected to the United States 
Senate to fill the unexpired term of Senator Walthall. In 1895 
he served the people of I\Iississippi as chief executive. He was 
again elected to the United States Senate in January, 1900, for 
the term beginning March 4, 1901, and was reelected for the 
term beginning March 4, 1907. 

He had been a useful member of various legislative and ad- 
ministrative bodies of his native State before he entered the 
Senate of the United States. Ripe in experience when he came 
into that bodv, he entered upon his official duties with earnest 
zeal and efficiency, and with an eye single to the public welfare. 
The best interests of the State and country were ever his aim, 
and when he died he left behind him, as a memorial of his toil, 
"an honored name, the memory of earnest deeds well done." 

Nature was kind to Senator McLaurin. She bequeathed to 
him rare qualities of heart and mind. 



40 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

Few men possessed a greater power for making men love him. 
He was probably known personally to more people than any 
other man who ever lived in ^lississippi. One of the reasons 
for his great and unfailing political success was due to the 
immense individual following he had — the great number of 
personal friends among the rich and poor alike, who were ever 
ready to rise at midnight, if needed, to help "AnsE," as he was 
familiarly and affectionately called. 

His capacity for work was apparently unlimited. He was 
tireless in his services to the people. The request of the hum- 
blest constituent received as prompt and faithful a response as 
that of the highest in the land. He was essentially a com- 
moner. He was a self-made man. In his youth he toiled in the 
fields. He knew what it meant to earn his daily bread in the 
sweat of his brow. From his large and varied experience in 
life he knew and sympathized with the wants of his fellow-man. 
He was never so happy as when doing some one a service. 

Since I have been in Washington I have heard two stories 
about Senator McLaurin. One cold winter's night he was on 
a street car, going to his hotel. Rain mixed with sleet was 
dashing against the car windows. He noticed that the motor- 
man stood on a wet platform and that he had no overshoes. 
The Senator did not know who he was or where he was from. 
He only knew that out on the platform, partially protected from 
the rain and sleet, a human being was standing in the wet and 
cold. As the car stopped at his hotel, this United States Sena- 
tor took the overshoes from his own feet and lent them to the 
man driving the car. 

The other story was related to me last summer. One even- 
ing, after the Senate had adjourned. Senator McL.aurin and 
some of his friends were coming down the street. They were 
stopped by an old woman who, in a voice trembling with age, 



Address of Mr. Collier of Mississippi 41 

inquired the way to a certain place. The party directed her as 
best thev could; but the old woman seemed so uncertain and so 
troubled that Senator McLaurin, reaHzing that she was unable 
to follow the directions, excused himself from his friends and 
retraced his steps for several squares, until he was close enough 
to point out the building the old woman was seeking, and then 
hurried away to escape her voluble thanks. 

These incidents were related to me long before the Senator's 
death. I mention them now as illustrations showing the kind 
and generous heart of the late Senator from Mississippi. The 
Book of Books tells us that "by their works ye shall know 
them;" and by deeds of thoughtfulness and generosity was 
Senator McLaurin best known. 

It was my melancholy privilege to be present at the funeral 
of this great Mississippian. I had just reached home the day 
before, to spend the holidays in Yicksburg, and heard the news 
of his death while on the train. It was on Christmas eve. 
Every store in the little town of Brandon was closed, and 
people from all over the State gathered in groups and in low, 
hushed tones spoke reverently and affectionately of the deceased 
Senator. 

By a strange coincidence a brother of Senator :McLaurin, 
apparently strong and well only a few weeks before, was also 
stricken down suddenly and without warning. I heard the 
good man who preached the funeral sermon of Senator !Mc- 
Laurin say that in the period of twenty-odd months, in the 
same church, this was the fourth funeral sermon he had 
preached in the :\IcLaurin family, three of the Senator's broth- 
ers preceding him to the grave. 

We have assembled here to-day to do honor to his memory. 
On occasions of this kind we are confronted by the darkest of 
all mysteries, the most stupendous of all inquiries, the old, old 



42 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

question of the immortality of the soul. "Whether at the end 
of life's journey we shall find a door or a wall faith alone 
vouchsafes, a reply." 

All the intellectual forces of mankind from the Chaldean 
sages down ha\e endeavored to solve this dread problem, but 
to-day we are no nearer its solution than when Adam and Eve 
were driven from the paradise of Eden. "The lips of the young 
inquiring 'whence' and the old asking 'whither,' are alike un- 
answered." All we can know is that we are born, we live, and 
we must surely die. The grim reaper watches at our side from 
dawn until dark and comes in a thousand ways. It reaches 
forth its clammy hand and stills the lisping lips of childhood. 
Its bitter stroke descends unwelcomed and unannounced upon 
vigorous manhood. It halts the faltering steps of old age and 
''kings and princes obey its summons with the promptitude of 
the beggar and the serf." 

Sophists may tell us that the "stars go down to shine on 
Other skies," but we know that they will "set their gold within 
our skies again." The grim frosts of winter may kill the bloom 
and beauty of summer, but in the early morning of the new 
year we know that the spring will wake again and fill all the 
land with radiance and all the air with song. 

Something in our hearts tells us — 

There is a calm for those who weep, 

A rest for weary pilgrims found; 
And while the moldering ashes sleep 

Low in the ground, 
The soul of origin divine, 

God's glorious image freed from clay, 
In heaven's eternal sphere shall shine 

A star of day. 

Upon the sheet anchor of immortality we base all our hopes. 
"It is the rainbow of promise shining through the tears of 
grief." This divine hope of a heavenly reunion comforts our 



Address of Mr. Collier of Mississippi 43 

souls ill the hour of desolation and robs death of its sting and 
the grave of its victory. 

The end must come to us all. Say what we may, act as we 
will, death is terrible. It is terrible when it comes accompanied 
bv the cannon's opening roar; when the clashing of the sabers 
is echoed and reechoed by the sharp rattle of musketry until 
men changed to demons trample each other in their lust for 
blood. 

It is terrible to die by the assassin's hand, when, unheralded 
and unprepared, some innocent one is hurled into the awful 
presence of his Maker. Come to the one who is surrounded by 
loving friends, a happy home, a faithful wife and little ones to 
"cluster around his knees and encircle themselves about his 
heart," and it is terrible. Yet go where we may, do what we 
will, it is the stern, inexorable decree of fate. It is my portion, 
it is your portion; and as we stand at the lonely grave of some 
one dear to us we ask — 

Why should the tear drops bum our eyelids standing at his tomb? 

Why should we hide our faces there where the ferns and the flowers bloom? 

It is only a little, little while till the last of us all shall go 

Out over the rim of that radiant sky and know what our dear dead know. 

Death, thou art terrible, but as "we have borne the image of 
the earthlv we shall also bear the image of the heavenly; so 
when this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be 
brought to pass the saying which is written, 'Death is swal- 
lowed up in victory.''" 

Senator McLaurix has gone from our midst, but he is not for- 
gotten. And though the voice of a friend is hushed and a 
famiUar face is missing, yet — 

Why do the shadows oftenest come 
Where the other shadows are ? 

Why do the hordes of anguish follow- 
Hard on the heels of care? 



I 



44 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

Why did Christ come sorrowing 

And not to a glad refrain ? 
Why was the world's redemption scheme 

Bom in sorrow and pain? 
Why is the heart of motherhood 

By the hand of an infant torn? 
Why must a nation travail 

That some great truth be bom? 
Why is subtlest perfume found 

In flowers that grow in shade ? 
And why from dwellers in vales of tears 

Are shapers of destiny made ? 
Do you think the life of Christ 

Would have had that power to thrill 
If there had been no Gethsemanc, 

No Calvary's shadowy hill? 
Or do you think that your own life 

Would have been pure as it is to-day 
If the disappointments that came to it 

Passed by some other way? 



Address of Mr. Sherwood of Ohio 45 



Address of Mr. Sherwood of Orao 

Mr. Speaker, Senator Anselm Joseph McLaurin was one of 
that rare type of statesmen who never strayed from the straight 
path of duty, and who was never away from the people whom 
he loved and served so faithfully. 

I knew Senator McL.'^urin well, and in a winter's home with 
him on Capitol Hill I learned to appreciate his sterling worth 
and to warm to him as a friend. I knew of his boyhood life 
and of his early manhood struggles to win recognition and 
honor in the battle of life, and recognized in him the social, 
moral, and mental qualities which made him the idol of the 
people of his State. Recognizing his high executive ability and 
fidelity to every previous trust, the people of Mississippi made 
him governor and then United States Senator. His life, his 
career, his example, his achievements in the domain of law and 
civics are valuable mentors to hold up to the young men of 
to-day who are struggling against adverse environment. For 
Senator McLaurin was born poor — poor in lucre; poor, as Mil- 
ton says, in "the tool of fools," but rich in soul and brain and 
hope and courage and that never-say-die spirit of his Scotch 
ancestry. He was born on a farm, breathed the untainted air of 
the woods and fields, and worked on a farm to the neglect of an 
earlv education. But he gathered in that wholesome work the 
physical strength and stamina so indispensable to a successful 
struggle with the clash of master minds in the wide domain of 
civics. 

Young McLaurin first read books at night by the light of a 
pine-knot fire. Not an alluring light for a well-to-do modern 
collegiate; but knowledge hard to get is always absorbed with 
more aviditv and is sure to make a more lasting impression on 



46 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

the plastic mind. Later young McLaurin studied law,' and 
without a preceptor, after he had acquired by his own effort 
the rudiments of a plain English education. With this meager 
equipment he started on his remarkable career. Successively 
he was district attorney, presidential elector, member of the 
constitutional convention of Mississippi, governor of the State, 
and three times elected United States Senator. 

His political career is rarely exceptional. I am told he was 
never defeated, either in a nomination to which he aspired or 
an election. His whole career was marked by a courageous 
honesty of both purpose and action, and he never weakened in 
a cause he believed to be just and he never betrayed a friend. 
All in all, he ranks as the peer of any Senator Mississippi has 
honored in the past; a State that has always held a high place 
in that great forum of the States. 

We should not let this occasion pass without gathering some 
lesson of value to the living, especially to the young men of 
to-day, who, like our departed friend in his boyhood, are strug- 
gling against what seems adverse fate. The brightest gleam of 
hope for the poor young man of to-day is in the knowledge that 
the greatest men who have ever ser\'ed or shone in the high 
places of power in this Republic have been, like Senator Mc- 
Laurin, of humble birth, limited opportunities in boyhood, and 
poor. And of this class the South has furnished the most 
remarkable examples. Let me name a few in the order of merit 
and commanding influence. 

Gen. Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee, twice President of the 
United States, the commanding general of the most remarkable 
victory of the war of 181 2. Jackson represents the most 
remarkable uplift, considering his poor beginnings, in the history 
of the Republic. He was the son of a North Carolina farm 
laborer, without early education, without friends of influence, 
with nothing but himself. He achieved the topmost pinnacle 



Address of Mr. Sherwood of Ohio 47 

of power and fame — President of the United States and the 
military hero of his time. 

Henry Clav, born poor, self-educated, self-made, the foremost 
orator of his time, the idol of his party; Speaker of the House 
of Representatives, Senator, Cabinet member, three times 
candidate for President. 

Thomas H. Benton, born poor, in North Carolina, self- 
educated ; thirty years in the United States Senate. Benton was 
the superior of Clav in the arena of debate in the Senate and 
a more thorough student of government, and he left his impress 
more distinctly upon his country in his great historical work, 
Thirty Years in the Senate. 

And still another great son of the South, born poor, and self- 
educated and self-made— John C. Calhoun; conceded to be the 
most profound logician who ever sat in the Senate. 

These are names to conjure with, because they stand for 
something this country needs to-day more than anything else — 
more recognition of manhood and less recognition of the man of 
only money merit. Xot to talk history, but to illuminate some 
inspiring chapters of our political history, do I mention these 
great men of the South, who, like our departed friend, won 
power and fame, notwithstanding the humbleness of their 
beginnings. 

And what is the true measure of greatness? Not all in 
achievements. Example, fidelity to an ideal, and the value of 
that ideal. It was the greatest of Athenian philosophers who 
said : 

It is not music nor the gymnasium, nor the schools that mold young 
men. It is much more— the public example. If you take one whose life 
has no high purpose and crown him in the theater, every boy who sees it is 
corrupted. 

Two thousand years have not changed the value of this 
philosophy. Lord Byron wrote the greatest dramatic poem of 



48 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

the nineteenth century — Waterloo. He was a great poet, but 
not a great man. His life had no high purpose. His example 
was harmful to good morals. Leopold of Belgium was one of 
the greatest monarchs of modern Europe, but in his social life 
he was a moral degenerate. Both his life and influence were 
degenerate. Hence, no enlightened estimate can place him on a 
pedestal with great men. Walt Whitman was a great man — 
great as a poet, great as a man — because he gave us a new 
baptism of democracy. Count Tolstoi is not only the greatest 
sociologist of either the nineteenth or twentieth centuries, but 
the greatest evangel of Christian brotherhood. 

Senator McLaurin has left to his family, his kindred, and 
his State a record of achievements that should fill their hearts 
with pride and mellow the acute sorrow over his untimely 
death. And there is a deeper consolation, told with so much 
pathos by Longfellow ; 

There is no death; what seems so is transition; 

This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life elysian, 

Whose portal we call death. 

On this sacred Sabbath day in this historic Chamber let us 
consecrate ourselves to that fervent patriotism, that high 
purpose to serve the people we are honored to represent, with 
the courage and fidelity which characterized our departed friend, 
a statesman whose friendship added to our joys of living and 
whose character and example gave us hope for the best ideals in 
popular government. 

Reflect that life, like any other blessing, 
Derives its value from its use alone, 
Not for itself, but for a noble end. 



Address of Mr. Spight of Mississippi 49 



Address of Mr. Sfight of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker, Shakespeare said : 

The evil men do lives after them, 

The good is oft interred with their bones. 

In this respect he was a pessimist, and I am glad that I have 
always been able to take a better view of life and its accom- 
plishments. In taking a retrospective outline of the achieve- 
ments of a man who, having left his impress upon the current 
history of his day, has passed from the stage of action, I forget 
his foibles, failures, and mistakes, and remember only the good 
he has done. I rather agree with Joaquin Miller, "the poet of 
the Sierras," that — 

In men whom men condemn as ill 
I find so much of goodness still ; 
In men whom men pronounce divine 
I find so much is sin and blot — 
I hesitate to draw the line 
Between the two when God has not. 

Funeral orations, like epitaphs on gravestones, are often mis- 
leading; and, while soothing to the bruised hearts of loved 
ones, may do infinite harm to others who know facts and weigh 
them in the scales of dispassionate judgment. It is, therefore, 
sometimes difficult for the conservative mind to draw the line 
between fulsome eulogy and truthful delineation of character. 
Nil nisi bonum de mortuis — speak nothing but good of the 
dead — is one thing; to indulge in extravagant and unsupported 
encomiums is quite another. The former appeals to the heart 
and the generous sensibilities; the latter commends itself only 
to the sycophant and the hypocrite. 
67675°-S. Doc. 577, 61-2 4 



50 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

The life of Senator McLaurin was not free from fault, nor 
have I ever known a man to whom the same criticism would 
not apply. That I did not always agree with him does not 
prove that he was wrong. He had his view point and I had 
mine. We both may have been right as we were given the 
light to see. 

That his life was a remarkable and useful one no man who 
knows his history and that of his State will deny. From ob- 
scure surroundings and almost pinching poverty he rose to the 
two highest offices in the power of the State to give — governor 
and United States Senator. In this he furnishes an inspiratiom 
to every American boy, no matter how discouraging early 
conditions may be. 

When a lad of i6 years of age, he enlisted in the Confederate 
army and ser\^ed until the close of the war without a stain 
upon his soldierly character. After his return home, through 
hard struggles, self-denial, and unquenchable ambition, he was 
admitted to the bar as a lawyer. He served as district 
attorney, representative in the legislature, delegate to the con- 
vention which adopted the present constitution of Mississippi, 
governor of the State, and one year in the United States Senate 
to succeed Senator Walthall, when he retired temporarily on 
account of bad health. On March 4, 1901, by election of the 
state legislature, he commenced another period of service in 
the United States Senate, which continued unbroken until the 
summons came, December 22, 1909, "Come up higher." 

Senator McL.M'RIN was a man of simple life and lived close 
to the heart of the great masses of the people from whose 
ranks he sprang. While he was dignified in his bearing, he 
was easily approached by the humblest citizen. He was big- 
hearted, genial, and generous, and it is not strange that people 
loved him. He was forgiving toward his enemies and loyal 
to his friends. He loved his native State with a devotion that 
was almost idolatrous and was ever ready to defend her from 



Address of Air. Spight of Mississippi 51 

misconception and calumny. He was proud of her history on 
the field and in the forum, in peace or in war. 

In this connection I trust I may be indulged while I state an 
unprecedented historical fact of which Senator McLaurin and 
all Mississippians were and are justly proud. During the latter 
part of his service in the United States Senate there were seven 
native sons of Mississippi in that august body. From the State 
were himself and Senator Money; from the Lone Star State 
was the brilliant Bailey; from Arkansas was Clarke; from 
Nevada, the home of the "Silver King," was Newlands; from 
the "Golden West" was Chamberlain, of Oregon; and from 
the infant State of Oklahoma was the "Blind Orator," Gore. 
This is a record which was never equaled by any State in the 
Union. In addition to this, there was also the then and present 
Secretary of War, Hon. J. M. Dickinson, who is a native of 
Mississippi. In the midst of all these giant intellects McLaurin 
shone resplendent. 

He was a great lawyer, a true patriot, an able statesman, 
and, greater than all, an humble follower of the "Lowly Naza- 
rene." 

He will be missed in the counsels of his State and of the 
Nation, but more than all by the "loved ones at home," whom 
he so fondly and tenderly cared for, and whose hearts are 
bleeding because the "welcome step" is heard no more. To my 
mind the truest test of a man's character is not so much what 
the world says about him, but the degree of love he inspires in 
his own household. Home was McLaurin's kingdom, and there 
he will ever be enshrined. 

While we, 'his friends and coworkers in the National Legisla- 
ture, pause on this sacred day to drop a tear upon his grave, 
we say to the stricken widow, children, and grandchildren that 
he has left you the priceless heritage of a good name : 

"He has fought a good fight; he has kept the faith; he has finished his 
course." 



52 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Gardner of Miohgan 

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing so democratic as the manner of 
man's birth and death. In the advent to and departure from 
this world there is no respect of persons. Anxiety and pain 
precede the one, and pain and anxiety attend the other. The 
assumption of copartnership between the material and imma- 
terial which we call life and the dissolution of that copartner- 
ship which, for lack of a better term, we call death is one of the 
insolvable mysteries. 

In the chemistry of every human being there is combined in 
the infant in indefinable proportions the properties of a long 
ancestral line. In the embryo there are the possibilities of anew 
and distinct entity or individuality differing from any that has 
preceded or that may follow. That entity or individuality we 
call the man. As such he is not only held accountable for what 
he does, but credited or discredited for what he is or ma}' become. 
Hence it is that men are judged b)' the deeds they do, by the 
personality they manifest, and by the character they develop. 
Nor are these standardsof judgment necessarily partial or unjust. 
After having eliminated all of what may be termed the accidents 
of life it still remains tiiat the elements we hold in common are 
so mixed in us that we involuntarily yield recognition to the 
qualities, whatever his calling, that give one precedence over his 
fellows. It follows, therefore, that a ser^nce of this character is, 
or may be, much more than a tribute, ■ however worthy or 
deservdng the object upon which it is bestowed, to a departed 
colaborer, for it should emphasize those qualities and services 
that make for good in all men; such ser\-ices and qualities vary- 
ing not so much in character as in degree. 



Address of Mr. Gardner of Michigan 53 

During the forty-five years from the time the late Senator 
McLaurin entered the confederate army as a lad of 16 to his 
recent departure from this life he had been successively a 
soldier, a student of letters and of law, a district attorney, a 
member of the legislature, a presidential elector, a mem.ber of 
the constitutional convention, four years governor of his native 
State, and three times sent to the Senate of the United States, 
dying while an incumbent of that high office. How brief the 
epitome of a career so exceptional! How suggestive of fidelity 
and devotion to duty wherever that duty might call ! 

His service as a soldier was inconspicuous, as would naturally 
be expected from one of his immature years. But he did what 
he could for a cause, to the promotion of which he tendered the 
peril of his life. There is no stain on his soldier record. 

From the day he finished his preparatory studies and was 
admitted to the bar as a practicing attorney he evidently gained 
and held the confidence and esteem of those who knew him best, 
and each step forward was a step upward. He so lived and 
discharged the duties of each and every position he was called 
to fill that promotion followed naturally on service. In this 
respect his is an example to be emulated by all men, whether 
in public or private life. Through the warp and woof of his life 
fabric, woven in the loom of every-day experiences, from the 
bridal altar to the deathbed, there run the golden threads of 
marital fidehty and devotion. At 61 he was the lover of the 
wife of his choice and the mother of his children as he was at 22. 
This phase of his life and character I witnessed for many months 
with ever-increasing admiration — so manly and yet so gentle 
and tender was he toward her who bore him sons and daughters 
who became manly and womanly characters in a home of 
happiness and content, disproving at every point the matri- 
monial heresy all too common and illustrating by a concrete 
example that marriage is not a failure. 



54 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

There was nothing of the snob in him. Holding the creden- 
tials of a sovereign State to membership in what has recently 
been termed by an American of international reputation the 
greatest legislative body in the world, and not unappreciative 
of the dignity of his high office, he was as considerate of the 
rights and feelings of his servants as of his peers. Without 
ostentation and without self-advertising he sought to the best 
of his ability to serve failthfully the humblest as well as the 
most conspicuous of his constituents. His high ideals of life, his 
gentlemanly ways and nobility of character, endeared him to all 
who enjoyed his acquaintance. Neither sectionalism nor par- 
tisanship barred the door of his heart nor prescribed the area 
from which he drew his friends in life nor the habitations of 
those who mourned his death. In his life were exemplified a 
faithful husband, a devoted father, an industrious citizen, and 
an honest public official. May his memory long survive to 
bless those who come after him 1 



Address of Mr. Candler of Mississippi 55 



Address of Mr. Candler of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker, this is to me a very sad occasion. Death is 
always sad and brings sorrow to the heart; but especially 
is that true when death takes from us a relative or friend. 
Senator McL.-\urin was my friend, and as such I loved him_ 
and he loved me. I have had many heart to heart talks 
with him and each one drew me nearer and closer to him, 
because, with his honesty of purpose and genuine frankness, 
he impressed you with his sincerity. One of his most beautiful 
characteristics was his loyalty and devotion to his family and 
friends. It was a common saying of him that he never 
deserted a friend, and they therefore implicitly trusted him, 
and he trusted them. His was, indeed, an illustrious career. 
He was reared on a farm in Smith County, Miss., many 
miles from a railroad, and by energy, determination, and the 
proper and right use of his ability gradually rose from the 
humble walks of life to a seat in the United States Senate. He 
accomplished this because he was always faithful to every 
trust confided to him. As a private citizen, he measured up 
to the loftiest standard ; as a public official, he met the highest 
ideals; as a Christian gentleman, his life was an example for 
others. I knew him intimately, and, with all the honors he 
enjoyed, and with his many business, professional, and official 
cares, he never forgot nor neglected for a moment his home and 
loved ones. There never was a more tender or devoted hus- 
band, a more loving or indulgent father. His home life was 
beautiful, and it was fitting when the final summons came 
that he was called from the midst of his devoted family in the 
home on earth to the presence of the loved ones gone before, 
to the home above. There is consolation and comfort to us all 



56 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

in the fact that as a citizen, official, and Christian gentleman 
he was faithful. I could not saj' more. 

If when I am called hence that one word "faithful" can be 
truthfully put as an epitaph on a simple marble shaft erected 
to my memory, I shall be content and happy indeed. Doctor 
Bolding, an eminent Methodist divine, thus wrote of him soon 
after his death, in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, published 
at Memphis, Tenn. : 

In the midst of the preparation for the merry Christmas Mississippi 
was plunged into gloom at tlie death of Senator McLaurin. "Anse" 
McLaurin was possibly not the very great man that Lamar or George 
was, but he was a manly, genial, generous man, of considerably more 
than ordinary capacity and, while not brilliant, was a steady light unto 
his people. I knew him very well, and knew him as an astute politician 
without low tricks, the genial gentleman who was as polite to the homy- 
handed sons of toil as to the wealthy and influential. I saw him once 
leave a group of cultivated gentlemen to go out into the street to greet an 
old farmer \vho was coming into town with his truck, dra«Ti in a rickety 
old wagon by oxen, and it made a picture I shall never forget and an 
impression which abides with me till this day. It may have been policy, 
but it was so naturally and genially done that it was a kindly policy of a 
kindly hearted man, too open to signify anything of the covered way or 
deceptive intent. Mississippi has a right to be proud of her great men of 
the past, men like Prentiss, Davis, Lamar, and George, in secular pxiblic 
life, and the peerless Galloway, perhaps her most gifted son. in the pulpit; 
but she will boast of no more genial gentleman and loving son than AnsE 
McL.\UKlN, whose dust will enrich her history as the dust of the true and 
loyal ever docs. 

Peace to the ashes of this faithful public servant and genial gentleman, 
and comfort unto the sorrowing ones in the Brandon home. Christmas 
comes and goes, and so do we, to be followed by the bright-eyed and happy- 
hearted children of each succeeding generation, dreaming beautiful dreams 
and filling their world with mirthful laughter while the great world outside, 
with its bitter experiences, moves on, burdened and groaning tmder its 
load. It is all well enough, for it is but a step from youth to age, from 
smiles to tears, and from joy to sorrow, until they secure the mingled 
threads of one common pattern from the loom of life. 



Address of Mr. Candler of Mississippi 57 

Why the Father above called the Senator to his final home 
in the zenith of his influence for good and with the assurance 
of manv vears of great usefulness we do not know. We can 
not understand such dispensations of His providence. We shall 
not know here, but we may know hereafter. We can console 
ourselves with the truth that — 

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who 
are the called, according to His purpose. 

The Senator loved the Lord and trusted implicitly the Lord 
Jesus. And of him, therefore, it can be said: 

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do 
follow them. 

He rests from his labors well, efficiently, and faithfully per- 
formed for good, and the benedictions of his works still remain 
and follow him. 

Of him it can truly further be said: 

His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might 
stand up and say to all the world, "This was a man." 

Love and sympathy we give to his devoted wife and aifec- 
tionate children, and with peace to his ashes and rest to his 
soul we say farewell, but not forever, for his life was rich in 
deeds of good, his faith in a crucified and risen Lord unwaver- 
ino', and he did not live in vain, but waits for us on yonder 
shore. He is not dead, for among those who love and trust 
the risen Saviour — 

There are no dead ; we fall asleep 
To waken where they never weep; 
We close our eyes on pain and sin, 
Our breath ebbs out, but life flows in. 



58 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Bowers of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker, during the late Christmas holidays the Con- 
gress, the State of Mississippi, and the entire Nation were 
shocked to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of Hon. 
Anselm Joseph McLaurin, a Senator from the State of Mis- 
sissippi. While he had been ill for some time, it was supposed 
that he had recovered, and his death was entirely sudden and 
unlocked for. 

When and in whatever guise it comes, death is gloomy and 
terrible, but when it comes to one in the prime of his life and 
the fullness of his usefulness it is inexpressibly sad, indeed. 

Senator McLaurin had filled a large part in the history of 
Mississippi. He was born in Rankin County, in that State, on 
the 26th day of March, 1848. He was reared on a farm, and 
imbibed the broadness, freedom, and breadth that comes from 
such environments. At the age of 16 he entered the confederate 
armv and served until the close of that conflict. 

After the war was over he attended Sonierville Institute, 
studied law at home at night, and was licensed to practice in 
1868. In 1 87 1 he was elected district attorney of his district, 
and ser\'ed until about 1879, when he was elected from Rankin 
County to the House of Representatives. In 1888 he was an 
elector at large on the Democratic ticket, and in iSgo he was 
elected a member of the constitutional convention of Missis- 
sippi, that memorable body that first blazed the way and 
showed the plan by which the ignorant and vicious negro could 
be legally, and in accordance with the amendnKiUs to the Fed- 
eral Constitution, deprived of the ballot— a plan which, with 
few exceptions, has been followed by nearly every Southern 
State, and which has brought not only political but industrial 



Address of Mr. Bowers of Mississippi 59 

peace to every State that has adopted it, and that more than 
anv other one thing has contributed to the great reputation of 
the late lamented Senator James Z. George, its author and chief 
advocate. 

In 1894 the late Senator Walthall, on account of ill health, 
resigned his then term in the Senate and Senator McLaurin 
was chosen to fill the vacancy. While the time was short and 
the opportunities few Senator McLaurin at once took excellent 
rank in that great body. 

He left the Senate to assume the governor's chair in 1896, 
where he served a full term of four years. During this time he 
added to the laurels he had already gained, and built up a popu- 
larity the equal of which has seldom, if ever, been seen in Mis- 
sissippi. He was essentially a man of the people. He loved 
them and thev loved him, and few, if any, men in that State 
have ever had the same hold on popular affection that he did. 
He had that rare tact that made friends and held them, and to 
sav that he was universally beloved, is to state it mildly. Nor 
was the affection in which he was held confined entirely to his 
own State. It so happened that I was the only Representative 
from Mississippi present at the national capital at the time of 
his death, and it fell upon nie to ascertain whether his family 
desired a congressional funeral, and if so, to arrange for it. I 
shall never forget my passage through the Capitol building the 
morning after his untimely end. Not an employee, not one 
present in the Capitol at that time, but stopped me to indulge 
in some expression of sorrow at Senator McLaurix's death, 
^ly journey through the building was beset on every hand by 
sincere and honest expressions of sorrow and tributes of regard; 
but I am ahead of my story of his life and ser\-ices. 

In 1900, at the expiration of his term of governor, he was 
elected to a full term in the United States Senate, and was re- 
elected in 1906 for a second full term of six years, beginning 



6o Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

March 4, 1907. He served on a number of important commit- 
tees, among them Public Lands, Commerce, Interstate Com- 
merce, Claims, and others, and was of immense servdce to his 
State. One of his chief ser\aces was to secure for it large bodies 
of school or university lands, to which it was entitled, but which 
had not before been patented. He believed in and loved his 
State, and served it as best he knew. He loved his friends. 
Nothing was too good for them, and he demanded for them 
without stint or hesitation what he believed was their due. 
Few men, if any, that I ever knew had the same capacity to 
make friends and hold them. As a legislator he was careful, 
prudent, and patriotic. As a speaker he was full of informa- 
tion, well rounded, and replete with anecdote and illustration. 
On the hustings he had few equals; in the political forum he 
was forceful and persuasive; at the bar he was eloquent, tact- 
ful, and effective. As a lawyer he was specially successful and 
effective. I can almost see him now with all of his splendid 
powers bent to their uttermost in the legitimate defense of his 
client. 

1 have been with him and against him in litigation, and can 
bear testimony that as an adversary he was formidable, and 
as an ally he was a force and support almost beyond computa- 
tion. Not a moment but that he was at work; not a moment 
but that some energy, some thought, was being bent and exer- 
cised in favor of his client. He was truthful, honorable, and 
brave. He feared nothing and faced every wind that blew. 
As a husband, father, and neighbor, he was beyond reproach, 
and the concourse of the people that gathered in the little town 
of Brandon on the occasion of his simple and unostentatious 
funeral testify the esteem and love in which his friends and 
neighbors IkUI liim, while those who came from afar showed 
how they who lived in other parts of the State thought of him. 



Address of Mr. Bowers of Mississippi 6i 

He is gone — he sleeps in the silent churchyard of the little 
town he loved so well — the peaceful sleep that knows no waking 
till the resurrection morn. Peace to his ashes. His friends 
have lost a faithful friend; his family a loving husband and 
father; his State a devoted son; and the Senate an active, able, 
and faithful Member. 



62 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Burnett of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker, when God called Senator A. J. McLaurin to 
Him, earth was poorer and heaven was richer by his death. 
I knew him well, and always felt honored by the fact that I 
could call him my friend. I met him soon after he came to 
the Senate, lived at the same hotels with him in Washington, 
served on the Immigration Commission with him, and as the 
years came and went our friendship grew stronger. 

Within his breast beat a heart as true as heaven, as gentle as 
a woman's, yet as brave as a lion's. 

He was born in 1848, and was a boy when the first gun was 
fired at Sumter, but before the flag was furled at Appomattox 
he became one of the tattered privates who followed the stars 
and bars until the "storm-cradled nation" went down in 
defeat, but not in dishonor. I, myself, was a southern boy in 
those dark days. Only six years the junior of Senator 
McLaurin, I well remember the awful scenes through which we 
passed. He and I saw many brave sons of the South go forth 
in the spring of 1861 happy, buoyant, hopeful, eager for battle. 
They were proudly clad in the gray uniform of homemade 
jeans, woven by the deft fingers of southern mothers and wives 
and sweethearts. 

He in Mississippi, I in Alabama, listened day by day to the 
whir of the old spinning wheel as tiie thread was drawn out by 
southern maidens. He and I listened day by day to the thump, 
thump of tiie old wooden loom by which our mothers converted 
that thread into the gray uniform of the southern soldier boy. 
He in ^Mississippi, I in Alabama, often peeled the black walnut 
and the red oak barb from the trees with which to dye the 



Address of Mr. Burnett of Alabama 63 

thread from which were made those uniforms of the brave, 
young southerners. 

We both heard the piper boy and the drummer boy at the 
head of the columns, leading men to battle, and our young 
hearts throbbed with patriotic desire to follow the boys in gray. 
I was too young and could not keep step to strains of Dixie, but 
young McLaurin left the plow at 16 to follow a cause that he 
believed to be just and a flag that he believed to be true. 

When the sword of Lee was sheathed forever, and our ''peo- 
ple's hopes were dead," young McLaurin, with thousands of 
other southerners, young and old, returned to desolated homes 
and weeping mothers — "Rachel weeping for her children, and 
would not be comforted because they were not." If the south- 
ern soldier was as brave as Achilles in time of war, he was 
strong as Hercules in time of peace. Upon ever}' side he looked 
upon scenes of suffering, povert)', and sorrow, nothing left but 
an invincible heart and an unflagging trust in the eternal God. 

The carpetbagger and the former slave sat in the seats of 
power and in the halls of our legislature. The war from 1861 
to 1865 was fierce and terrible, but fiercer still was the battle 
with greed and ignorance and crime from 1865 to 1874. In the 
midst of these days young McLaurin developed the character 
and characteristics which made him a leader of men. I have 
talked with him often about these horrible days — days that will 
ever mark a dark spot in the history of our Republic; days 
when the satrap tried to crush the proud spirit of brave men to 
make them bow beneath the conqueror's yoke; days .when 
skulkers and camp followers became rulers over those who were 
bleeding and prostrate at their feet. It was in times like these 
that young McLaurin converted the sword into the plowshare 
and took up the fight against the "wolf at the door." 

These were times that grew strong men. The country school 
in the South in those days was the three months' term between 



64 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

"laying by" and "fodder pulling," and yet amid such environ- 
ments this young Mississippian acquired a rudimentary educa- 
tion and laid the foundation for a great governor and a splendid 
Senator. 

In his home life Senator McLaurix was happy, tender, and 
devoted. True as steel to principle, he was always ready to 
lift his hand for the oppressed and to strike down the oppressor. 
From a State that produced Davis and Lamar and George, he 
was, in many respects, the peer of either of them. No poor 
client ever felt that he did not get the best that was in Senator 
McLaurin, regardless of the fee. No poor constituent ever had 
occasion to think that the noble Senator woulfl forget the 
humble or the weak. 

In the forum it is said that he was well-nigh invincible. On 
the hustings he swept those who heard him with the force of 
his argument and with his mastery of logic. 

In his death Mississippi has lost a star of the first magnitude. 
The warm southern sunshine and the gentle southern showers 
cause the grass to grow above his ashes, )-et his loved ones may 
well look up from that little mound to the home of the God he 
worshiped, where we know he rests. 

A devout Christian, I have often met him on God's holy day 
at the church in Washington which he loved, and I felt that 
there was "an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no guile." 
In our thoughts and our hopes we may follow him, though he 
be dead, and through faith's unflagging vision see that where- 
ever God is, wherever heaven is, there our friend is, too. 

Let us emulate his noble, Christian life, and pray that where 
he is we at last may go. 



Address of Mr. Calderhcad of Kansas 65 



Address of Mr. Calderhead of Kansas 

Mr. Speaker, the announcement of the death of Senator 
McLaurin came to me as with the shock of personal bereave- 
ment. For the last three years we had had a home at the 
same hotel, and I enjoyed daily intercourse with him. Yes- 
terday we paid our tributes of affectionate memorials to 
another member of that family hotel, Mr. De Armond, of 
Missouri. Since the death of Senator McLaurin we have lost 
another. Hon. James M. Griggs, from the State of Georgia, 
was also a member of our little social company there. My 
colleague from Michigan [Mr. Gardner] has spoken tenderly 
about it. During the time we have lived together a warm per- 
sonal friendship grew up amongst us. I was particularly at- 
tached to Senator McLaurin. I met his family when his chil- 
dren were at the hotel, and I found they were the same kind of 
children that mine were. When my daughters were visiting 
me at the hotel for three or four months he treated them as if 
they had been members of his own family. I knew by the 
manner in which his family and he met daily with us, that 
they were an American family from an American home, with 
the same habits of thought, the same practices of family life, 
the same standards of hving. And I knew by closer inter- 
course with him that we had the same standards of faith. We 
believed in a definite moral authority, and the divine cause of 
all existing things. 

We believe in the divine purpose of the life of man and of 
nations. We looked into the open grave with the same hope 
of the everlasting life beyond. There was a sincerity and a 
simplicity of expression in Senator :\IcLaurin's conversation 
about these things which carried with it the conviction that he 
67675°— S. Doc. 577, 61-2 5 



66 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

knew them, as we know them, by faith. All the arts and 
sciences, all the knowledge of material things that we have, do 
not carry to us the knowledge which the faith in the great 
Creator and the great Savior carries. 

I do not know how Cicero arrived at his belief in the first 
great cause, and I am not sure that I can state it accurately, 
as he stated it. I think he said that a principle is a first thing, 
for if it be not a first thing, then it has been caused b}- some 
other thing, and is a secondary thing. A principle, then, being 
a first thing, and never having been caused by anything external 
to it, must have existed always, and it must always continue to 
exist, for if any other thing be able to put an end to it, then it 
is not a principle but a secondary thing. Being then a principle, 
without beginning and without end and indestructible, it must 
of itself have other attributes, and first among the attributes 
which we must conceive as belonging to it, must be justice and 
power, and with these must go truth and wisdom and goodness. 

How nearly he came to our Calvanistic answer to the question. 
What is God? "The Deity, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, 
in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and 
truth." This knowledge of this high Deity above us, this faith 
in His everlasting truth, everlasting justice, goodness, and 
mercy brings to the heart of every man who knows it the 
conviction that there is a life beyond, glorious in its fulfillment, 
and full of the rich endowment of hope for the life that we live 
here. .Something of the Scotch ancestry may have given him 
ihis inheritance. Something of that must have given him the 
impulse of life which made him a soldier at i6, and a lawyer 
admitted to the bar at 20; married at 22, and from that step on, 
every two or three years an advancement in the affairs of his 
owti State mUil \\v came to be her representative in the great 
United States Senate, and from that place was chosen to be her 
governor, and, after four years, again her .Senator. 



Address of Mr. Calderhead of Kansas 67 

Some of us have spoken here to-day of the humble begin- 
nings of his hfe as if he had toiled upward to this place of 
power and fame with an ambition for honor, and 3'et we who 
knew him know that he was never seeking honor; that from 
that humble farm in Mississippi he had never intended to be 
governor or Senator, but that he himself was seeking his daily 
duty and doing it with energy and intelligence. 

I like the words of \'an Dyke, who said: 

The blue flower of honor is so delicate that he who seeks it shall never 
find it, and he w-ho finds it needs no name. 

He who seeks honor for himself shall never find it, and he 
who finds it finds it in the highest endeavor of a noble man- 
hood and a noble life. 

It was in this way that honor must have come to Senator 
McLaurix'. His family, his wife, and the 10 children of that 
family, 7 of whom are still living, I believe, bear witness to 
a character of man that no words of ours mav add to, and noth- 
ing, indeed, that we say here can add to his honor. What we 
say here may be some consolation to those who come after, 
to those who have been bereaved by his death; what we say 
here may be of some use to ourselves, for it recognizes our obli- 
gation to keep up the same standard of honor that he kept. 

It renews our obligation to set before the children who come 
after us the example that he gave. It renews our faith in each 
other. It renews that comradeship in the service of a great 
country and a great people, which belongs to us and becomes a 
part of us as we serve here. 

When I began I intended to say a word or two about his 
life as a soldier. The brief record in the Directory says that 
he entered the army at 16. He was four years younger than 
myself, and I entered the army before I was 17. 

The record says that he served as a private, and I served 
as a private. . Now, at this distance of time I know that younger 



68 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

men are unable to realize how two boys at that age, having the 
same standards of life and the same ideals, should be risking 
life upon opposite sides of a civil war. Yet I know by my inter- 
course with him that his was not a thoughtless ser^^ice. I know 
that on my part I felt it my highest duty to preserve the in- 
tegrity of the Union ; not only the integrity of the Government 
and of the laws, but the integrity of all our territory. To me 
every revolutionary battlefield of the South was a part of my 
inheritance. To me the great river that flowed through it was 
a part of my inheritance. It was my birthright to be a citizen 
of the United States in any State. The traditions of the whole 
land and all its glorious history were a part of mine. The 
Constitution, the laws, the institutions, the church, the school, 
the hearthstone, and the table at which daily grace was said 
before every meal were at stake. On the other hand, to him it 
appeared that the same things were at stake; that somehow or 
other we on our part were invading a territory that was ex- 
clusively his; that we on our part were attempting the de- 
struction of a right that was inherently his, and he went not 
ignorantly to carry a musket, and I went not thoughtlessly to 
carry a musket on our side. 

The great arbitrament of the battlefield has settled the ques- 
tion for him and for me and for mine forever. The victor)' 
was with us, and as it was glorious, being not for conquest, but 
for self-preservation, it was impossible for us to use it for re- 
venge. Let it be remembered that no such feeling abides, or 
ever has, in our hearts. While with us the spirit of liberty in 
defense of the Union, the Constitution, and tiie laws, and all the 
institutions that had grown up under them, was fierce, as a 
mother is fierce in the defense of her children, when it was over 
and the victory was won the spirit of liberty in all our hearts 
was as gentle as a mother with her most wayward son. And 
from the hour of the gray dawn at Appomattox, when your 



Address of Mr. Calderhead of Kansas 69 

arms and your flags were laid down, until this time, you can 
not help remembering that, like the children of God's ancient 
people, when the moment of a supreme test came to them, they 
answered, "All we be brethren, the sons of one Father." So it 
was to vSenator McLaurin and to me and to all the people of 
this great land: All we be brethren, the children of one great 
liberty. 



70 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Clark of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker, under an arrangement maintained in ante- 
bellum days, and not necessary to explain in this happier era, 
Mississippi and Illinois came into the Union as twins. Both of 
those great Commonwealths have always taken a conspicuous 
part in the affairs of the Republic, in the Congress, in the Cabi- 
net, and upon the battlefield. From the nth day of December, 
1817, when her first Senators, Walter Leake and Thomas H. 
Williams, and her first Representative, George Poindexter, were 
sworn in, the sons of Mississippi have shown a high average of 
abiUty, courage, and character. It would be pleasant and in- 
structive to trace briefly the history of Mississippi Senators, but 
time will not suffice. There is one surprising thing about Mis- 
sissippi Senators, and that is that so many of lliem have resigned. 
This is true, particularly with reference to her earlier vSenators, 
though during the sixteen years that I have been here vSenator 
Walthal resigned, and vSenator Money declined a reelection. 
Walter Leake, one of her first two Senators, served from Decem- 
ber, 1817 to 1820, when he resigned that he might be elected 
governor. David Holmes succeeded Leake in 1820, and resigned 
in 1825. Why he resigned I do not know. Powhattan Ellis 
resigned the Senatorship in 1S32 to become a federal judge. 
Robert J. Walker resigned in 1S45 to become Secretary of the 
Treasury, and won enduring fame by fathering the Walker tariff 
bill. 

Other Mississippi Senators have resigned, for one reason or 
another. The strangest case in all our hislorx of a senatorial 
resignation, or, more properly speaking, senatorial resignations, 
was when both the Mississippi Senators, Jefferson Davisand Henry 
S. Foote, resigned to go home and run against each other for the 



Address of Mr. Clark of Missouri 71 

governorship. No doubt they resigned from a delicate sense of 
honor, each beheving that it was indecorous to be a candidate 
for governor while holding the office of Senator. In these later 
days no United States Senator would think for one moment of 
resigning that position to become governor, the reason for the 
change of opinion on that subject being that tn the lapse of years 
the office of Senator has grown rapidly in importance when com- 
pared with all other offices, and while in the elder day the govern- 
orship was considered generally as the greater office, in these 
later days the governorship is frequently used merely as a step- 
ping-stone to the Senate. 

At the present time seven natives of Mississippi sit in the 
Senate out of a total of 92 Members — a remarkable showing 
when population is considered. 

Senator McLaurin was evidently a prime favorite in Missis- 
sippi. He held many positions of honor and power. From 
his admission to the bar in 1868, when only 20 years old, to the 
day of his death, he was prominent in the affairs of Mississippi 
and of the Republic. He was district attorney, representative 
in the legislature, presidential elector at large, delegate to the 
constitutional convention, United States Senator, governor, and 
again United States Senator. 

In all these positions he discharged his duties with ability, 
courage, industry, and fidelity. He was as popular in Washing- 
ton as in Mississippi, and all who knew him here trusted him as 
implicitly as did his own constituents. He was a man of highest 
character. A soldier of the confederacy in his boyhood, he was 
absolutely free from rancor. Without being an orator, he was 
a forceful speaker and influential in the vSenate. Affable in 
manner, pleasing as a conversationalist, true to his convictions, 
reliable under all circumstances, wise in counsel, his death, just 
after he had passed the psalmist's limit of three score years, was 
a loss not only to his family and his State, but to the entire 



72 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

country. The one adjective which above all others properly 
describes him is "dependable," and after all is said and done 
the dependable man is in the long run the most valuable man 
in legislation, in politics, in business, and in every other relation 
of life. Nobody ever had to go on an exploring expedition to 
discover how Senator McLaurin would stand on any particular 
question, because his principles were so firm, his habit of thought 
so fixed, that, given circumstances surrounding a question, one 
who knew the Senator could predict what his action would be. 
This was the source of his popularity, his strength, and his 
success. 

It is eminently proper that we honor such a man as this 
typical American public servant, for, in honoring him, we honor 
not only ourselves but that mighty Republic of which we are 
all proud to be citizens. 



Address oj Mr. Byrd oj Mississippi 



Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: The late Anselm Joseph McLaurin was of 
Scottish descent. His ancestors came from the Clan Maclaurin, 
a determined and unconquerable race, who wrote history amid 
the mountains of Scotland four centuries ago. At that time 
they were a belligerent people, resisting every encroachment 
upon their rights with the sword, and when vanquished upon 
the field they would scatter among their native hills and fight 
to the death, with only the cave for a bivouac and the bowlder 
for a fortress. While terrible in war, in peace they were gen- 
tle, frugal, industrious, and craved a full share of the intel- 
lectual light then rapidly dethroning the tyranny and supersti- 
tion that shackled the world. So rapidly did the}' advance in 
the science of civilization that in less than a century from the 
time they roamed half naked and half wild about the shores of 
Loch Lomond there were to be found among them great mathe- 
maticians and philosophers, many of whom were the recipients 
of royal favors, one John Maclaurin being elevated to the peer- 
age as Lord Dreghorn. 

The Scotchman has a right to be proud of his blood. It has 
contributed much to our splendid civilization, it emblazons the 
most interesting pages of history, and weaves the garlands of 
romance and love into the brightest pages of fiction. The terror 
of the Macgregors, the wild flute notes of Rob Roy, the heroism 
of Bruce and Wallace, the tragic love of gentle Marion, the 
surrender of Burns's poetic soul to Highland Mary, all "bring 
recollections to view" of a romantic land and a people born to 
virtue. 

The grandfather of our lamented friend, fighting with the 
revolutionary patriots at Lexington, is the first knowledge we 



74 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

have of the McLaurins in America; but since that day, when the 
corner stone of the Nation was laid in blood, they have fought 
in every war involving our destiny, and I dare say that but few 
American families have contributed more to the upbuilding of 
the church, state, and our splendid civilization. 

In many respects, vSenator McLaurin was to the manor born 
a Scotchman, being as deeply and as unchangeably set in his 
convictions of duty and right as was John Knox, but in no 
degree did he possess the bigoted intolerance of the latter. He 
delighted to recall the legends of song and story that immor- 
talized his ancestors. Next to the beauties of the Holy Bible, 
the quaint philosophy hidden in the sweet melodies of Burns 
was the chief topic of his literary discussion. Doubtless tiie 
poesy of this immortal bard, who played upon every chord of 
the human heart, contributed liberally to his loving generositv 
and aifection — the full-grown flowers of his manly heart. 

Mr. Speaker, I hope I will be pardoned in saying that of all 
the public men with whom I have been associated. Senator 
McL,.\URiN more than any other approximated my ideal of 
superb manhood, when measured by all the standards of wortii 
and success. In some accomplishments he was far excelled bv 
others, but combining all of his blended virtues, he had few 
equals and no superiors. He possessed an attractive per- 
sonality — tall, graceful, handsome, and with a countenance 
always radiant with intelligence and candor. AVith neatness 
and becoming modesty he dressed, and moved among his fellows 
with ease and dignity; nor did these graces of Apollo desert 
him, even after his locks had been frosted by three score years. 
While dignified and commanding, he was void of every sem- 
blance of vanity or affectation. The most humble citizen could 
engage his friendly attention as readily as could the greatest 
Senator. In the sunshine of life he was as gentle as a flower, 
but in the tempest as firm as a rock. 



Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 75 

But it was at the bar that his intellectuality rose to its 
zenith. He was a master in the profession, and, though often 
confronted bv the ablest lawyers, he was seldom vanquished in 
a battle where victory could have been won by any knight of 
Blackstone. Always familiar with the law and facts of his 
case, and demeaning himself with dignity and courtesy to the 
court, he was a most dangerous adversary. As an advocate, he 
scarcely had an equal. 

His oratory was sublime, indeed, being always couched in 
pure, simple English, and llowed from his lips like sparkling 
waters from the gushing fountain. It was the outpouring of a 
soul on fire with earnestness, often rising to the sublimest 
heights of forensic effort, and sometimes sweeping away the bet- 
ter judgment of the court and jury. Upon the hustings his elo- 
quence was irresistible. In defending his deeds as a public 
servant he never failed to destroy his critics and to handle his 
audience as easily as a shepherd does his flock. To permit him 
to stand before the people meant the downfall of his political 
adversary. With truth and justice for his subject, his language 
seemed to come from his brain through his heart to his lips, 
and never failed to touch every responsive chord in the hearts 
and minds of his hearers. 

Senator McLaurin was more of a patriot than a statesman, 
believing in that school of political philosophy which teaches 
that justice to the weak is strength to the Nation. He labored 
as assiduously to lift the burdens from the poor as did Cobden 
and Bright to give bread to the hungry of England. While 
other Senators were exploiting their learning on constitutional 
questions he was striving to withdraw the hands of the tariff 
robber from the pockets of the honest plowman; to protect the 
lives of the brave men who, night and day, at the risk of their 
lives, direct the locomotive across snow-swept plains and 
through mountain gorges; to give health and liberty to the child 



76 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

imprisoned within the walls of the dingy factory; and to better 
the condition of the unfortunate shop and oflSce girl, struggling 
for a living in the sin-cursed city. The ragged newsboy, fighting 
the blizzard of early dawn for a penny, the faithful employee 
of the Capitol, and even the dusky laborer cleaning the streets 
were all the objects of his kindly consideration, and no meas- 
ure ever came before the Senate involving their weal that he 
did not champion. 

Like Jefferson and Jackson, he believed in the individual 
rights of the individual man, that the home is the unit of our 
civilization, and that he who seeks to pauperize or destroy it 
is an enemy both to God and to the Nation. He firmly believed 
that if a fair share of the extravagant appropriations of Con- 
gress were left in the pockets of the people or applied to the 
sustenance and education of that vast herd of children who 
are rapidly passing from poverty and ignorance to sin and 
crime the Nation would be more bountifully blessed. In his 
judgment the annual allowance of more than $200,000,000 to 
support the Army and Navy at a time when the whole world 
is resting in the arms of Christian peace, and, too, when so 
many of our citizens are so hard pressed bj' poverty, is little 
less than criminal extravagance. He detested a large standing 
army, lest it might prove to be a menace to our peace, and he 
abhorred the dress-parade soldier as one to whom the destiny 
of the Nation could not be intrusted in an hour of danger, be- 
lieving that the best protection of the Nation is the intelligent, 
prosperous, and God-fearing citizen, that a home erected upon a 
sunny hillside became a fortress where patriots and warriors 
are reared. 

]\Ir. Speaker, it was not the standing army, but the citizen 
soldiery, that won our victories in the past. The plowmen of 
the Revolution drove the British regulars into the sea from 
Lexington to Yorktown, and the same class, marshaled under 



I 



I 



Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 77 

the banners of Scott, Taylor, Houston, and Crockett, conquered 
an empire, adding more wealth of domain to the Nation tlian 
the legions of Csesar to the Roman Empire. That horrible con- 
flict that rent the Nation asunder and which stands unparalleled 
in history for the mastery of arms was largely fought by the 
home builders of the land. 

Senator McLaurin may have been classed as an aristocrat 
of the common people. The stalwart yeoman, though rugged 
and uncomely, but with a great and honest heart, was one of 
his favorite companions. Integrity, honesty, worth, and honor 
was the rule bv which he measured his fellows. "A man's a 
man for a' that" often hung upon his lips. Many acres of his 
manly heart were dedicated to the stalwart country people of 
Mississippi, with whom he li\-ed, among whom he died, and 
who had sustained and supported him in every crisis. Many of 
them were his companions in boyhood — gamboled and frolicked 
with him in the paradise of a country boy. Side by side they 
had marched with him, while yet a boy, to the horrid front of 
war, there, if need be, "to dare and die" to save the storm- 
tossed confederacy. They never deserted him in any crisis. 
It is well remembered that in the closing days of his admifiis- 
tration as governor of Mississippi, it looked as if his official 
rectitude and all of his poHtical aspirations would be swept 
into oblivion by an avalanche of vituperation, heaped upon him 
by the politicians and unrighteous press. His most loyal friends 
were alarmed, but, conscious of the rectitude of his conduct, he 
announced himself as a candidate for the United States Senate, 
called upon his friends to rally to his support, and they came 
by the thousands from the hills and the valleys of the State and 
gave him victory in one of the most heated political campaigns 
in the history of Mississippi. They knew him, they loved him, 
and when he sounded the tocsin of battle, they rallied to his 
standard. And as a manifestation of his gratitude for their 



78 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

loyalty, he fought their battles until death, and then preferred 
to be borne to his grave by their simple hands rather than by 
the senatorial dignitaries of the Nation. 

Mr. Speaker, we are all the creatures of environment, and 
doubtless the early surroundings of Senator MtL.\URi.\ had 
much to do with shaping his magnificent character. His 
father was a firm, resolute, and God-fearing man, who directed 
his promising boy along the paths of honesty and righteous- 
ness. Moreover, he was reared in the country, the home nature 
intended for every boy. God made the landscape and all the 
beauties thereof; man made the cities, with their dens and 
slums. Every blade of grass, every flower, every bird that 
sings, every brook that ripples, every cataract that roars, and 
every storm that sweeps across the plain are sentinels pro- 
claiming the loving gentleness and awful grandeur of Jehovah. 

The giant oak, the lily of the valley, the warbling songster, 
the rushing stream, the expanding dome of heaven bedecked 
with the .evangels of other worlds, all tended to expand the 
young mind of our lamented friend and forever confirm his 
religious convictions. Unhappy, indeed, must be the youth 
who grows to manhood imprisoned by the walls of the modern 
city, where he is seldom permitted to liehold the beauties of 
the birth and death of day, to ha\-e his >oung heart thrill with 
the music of the chase, or to embrace the thousand allurements 
of the field and the forest. 

Tlie life of Senator McL.mrix is a fitting illustration of the 
possibihties of the American boy. He reached voung man- 
hood at a time when his native State was blackened and ruined 
by the ravages of war. Those who were once rich had become 
paupers, desolation and poverty reigned in ever>- household of 
the South; but adversity could not conquer the will of this 
determined youth, and we find him while quite a boy driving 
the plowshare by day and reading b\' tlie flame of the fagot at 



Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 79 

night. From this inauspicious beginning he traveled all the 
ways and encountered all the obstacles along the pathway to 
greatness. 

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have claimed Senator j\IcL.-\urin 
as my friend, and if the tongue could voice the language of the 
soul much would be added to this feeble tribute to his memory. 
Not only was he my friend but he was' the friend of all who 
were willing and worthy. His noble heart, mellowing with 
declining years, overflowed with forgiveness for his enemies and 
increasing love for his friends. About his friendship there was 
a magnetism that disarmed malice and dethroned envy. Many 
who in former years had hated him loved him at his death, and 
manv of those whose vile tongues at one time embittered his 
life forgot their wrath, received his forgiveness, and came to 
mingle flowers and tears upon his grave. His friendship was 
not an ephemeral passion, coquetting with its object in the 
sunshine of life, but was of that divine order that beams forth 
amid the shadows of adversity. Anywhere, everywhere, and 
upon all occasions he heard the appeal of his friends, and their 
wrongs were never so grievous as to compass his generous 
charity. Often his benedictions fell like the balm of Gilead 
upon some unfortunate friend and clung about him like the 
tendrils of the creeping vine binding the wounds of the oak 
shattered by the lightning's blast. 

Mr. Speaker, the most sublime evidences of the divinity of 
Christ and His teachings are to be found in the noble lives of 
the good, who \\ith abiding convictions of the immortality of the 
soul and implicit confidence in the promises flashed from the 
cross move among us like ministering angels, giving bread to the 
hungry and inspiring hope into* the hopeless. Such lives are 
like benedictions from heaven and challenge the respect of the 
craven criminal and incite the admiration of the just. God 
dwells in every soul broad enough to compass the woes of 



8o Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

humanity. The road to heaven leads by the cradle of the 
orphan, the widow's hut, and the prisoner's dungeon. The 
whispered words of hope are as — 

Sweet as the breath of mom 
To the fallen and forlorn. 

Our departed friend had an unfaltering Christian faith that 
intensified and brightened as he approached the grave. In the 
latter years of his life it seemed as though he was gently glid- 
ing over the stream of time from the bosom of his friends 
to the arms of his God. Beautiful were his Christian virtues. 
His charity, gentleness, and kindness were like flowers blooming 
by the wayside of life, shedding their rich perfume upon all 
who passed that way. He believed in all the promises of the 
Bible as implicitly as the tender child does in the teachings of 
its mother, and neither success nor learning nor the blandish- 
ments of power could make him waver in his devotion to his 
Maker. There was no place in his mind or heart for skepti- 
cism, believing by intuition that "the hand that made us is 
divine." The silent murmuring of his soul told him of the life 

tobe— 

As the traveler hears the billows roll 

Ere he reaches the sea. 

If the grave be the end of life, then why all this magnificence 
of man? Why is he permitted to build governments, erect 
temples, and fathom the mysteries of nature ? Is not the stupid 
ox brought into life by the same law of reproduction, and does 
he not feast upon the bounties of nature and lie down in death 
like man ? Are we to share the same fate as the miserable worm 
that banquets upon our bodies for a few days and then returns 
itself unto dust? Nay; not so. Such a thought is revolting 
to conscience and abhorrent to reason. 

Go, thou infidel, and feast thy per\'erted soul in the fleshpots 
of reason; go ask the heathen mother why, to appease the 



Address of Mr. Byrd of Mississippi 8i 

wrath of an imaginary god, she consigns her first born to the 
monsters of the deep; and go explore the landscapes of the past 
and ask of the ruined idols and shattered temples if man has 
not since the dawn of time worshiped at the shrine of some 
deity. 

In the soul of every human being there is an insatiable yearn- 
ing for the habiliments of immortality, and since his fall in the 
tragedy of Eden man has been struggling to regain the approv- 
ing smiles of his ilaker. The heavens above, the earth below, 
the death and resurrection of the flowers — yea, all nature pro- 
claims life beyond the grave. 

Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 
This longing after immortality; 
Or whence this secret dread and inward horror 
Of falling into naught ? Why shrinks the soul 
Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 
'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; 
'Tis heaven itself that points out a hereafter, 
And intimates eternity to man. 
67675°-S. Doc. 577. 61-2 6 



Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Sisson of Mississifpi 

Mr. Speaker, in addressing myself to the life of Senator 
McLaurin I shall do so without any idea of reviewing in 
detail his remarkable career, because that has already been 
done by others; but I would call attention to one principle that 
always guided him through life. 

Senator McL.^urin was, in no partisan sense, a Democrat. 
He was the most democratic man of my acquaintance. Senator 
McLauri.\ believed as firmly as he believed in his own existence 
in the right of the people to rule and to control. Senator 
McLaurin did not fear to vest the people with power. He was 
always afraid to take power away from them. He believed 
that the best government was that which was closest to the 
people and which sprung from them by and with their consent, 
and not a government which was imposed upon them by supe- 
rior power. It was this great democratic soul of his that 
always found response in every audience, and whatever might 
be the political stress or storm, however adverse the sentiment 
of a community, when Senator McLaurin addressed the people 
there was a genuine ring of democratic sincerity in every word 
that he uttered, and the people felt it. It came from his soul 
and shone out of his face and out of his eyes, and those who 
heard him were converted and followed him, whatever might 
have been their preconceived opinion of the man who came to 
address them. 

He never made an appeal to the people in his own cause in 
his native State that they ever turned down. On one occasion, 
when he was a candidate for the Senate, the first time he came 
before the people of the State for that office— for he had been 
elected prior to that time by the legislature— the first speech 



Address of Mr. Sissoii of Mississippi 83 

made in that remarkable campaign was made in my little city. 
There gathered there perhaps the largest throng of men of 
political prominence that has ever assembled in our State at 
one time and under one roof. It was understood that then and 
there what was to be the beginning of the campaign might also 
be the end. Senator McLaurin' came from a sick bed. He 
came weak and emaciated. His friends begged and besought 
him, and so did his son-in-law and his brother, both of whom 
were physicians, not to go. They said, "Governor, you can not 
afford to take the chance." But he was a Scotchman of courage 
and determination, and I have heard Judge vStevens, his son- 
in-law, say that while he feared for him he would not for a 
moment insist that his father-in-law ought not to go. 

Senator McL.\uri\' came to Winona, Miss., where there had 
gathered 10,000 people. They had come on special trains, the 
anti-McLAURiN people endeavoring to create the feeling through- 
out the State that his administration as governor ought not to 
be indorsed. There were strong men at the time pitted against 
him. One of them declined on that day to become a candidate 
for the Senate. Mr. John Sharp Williams was urged by his 
friends to enter the race, and he was to decide that day, and I 
shall always recall Mr. Williams's last words in the speech that 
he made. He said: 

I will tarry yet a little while in Jericho, till my beard is a little longer 
grown. I am not a candidate, my fellow-citizens, for the United States 
Senate. 

I was sitting on the platform within a few feet of Senator 
McLaurin, and I saw him at that time lean over and put his 
hand on the shoulder of the presiding officer, and he whispered 
to him. "That elects me to the United States Senate." From 
that moment he had no doubt of his election, and although he 
spoke then to an audience the majority of whom were perhaps 
opposed to him, when that day's conflict was over I heard men 



84 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

and merchants and farmers and lawyers of that section say, 
"I came here an anti-McLAURix man, but I shall support him 
in this race for the Senate." 

They had not heard him speak, because that was the first 
campaign in Mississippi when the people elected a Senator, but 
when they heard him they believed in him, and it was this 
abiding faith and trust which Senator McLaurin had in the 
masses of the people that caused him to be in his own county 
the idol of his people, that caused him when only 23 years of 
age to be elected district attorney, that sent him to the legisla- 
ture, that made him an elector, that made him governor, that 
made him a Senator of the United States. 

Reference has been made to his service in the constitutional 
convention. He did not vote for the present provisions of the 
constitution of Mississippi which provides for the appoint- 
ment of all judges by the governor, but voted against it. He 
has sometimes been criticised for this, but no man ever criti- 
cised Senator McLaurin on the stump that he did not regret 
the criticism, because in that constitutional convention, believ- 
ing in the right of the people to select their officers, Senator 
McLaurin voted against this provision of the constitution be- 
cause it denied the people of Mississippi the right to select 
their judges. He was unwilling to vest the executive with the 
enormous power of appointing the judges, although he himself 
was perhaps at that very moment thinking of becoming a 
candidate for governor. 

Senator McLaurin has been charged in poHtics with rew^ard- 
ing his friends. I do not think that this is a criticism if his 
friends are worthy. I heard a Senator say the other day that 
the man wlio did not love his friends, the man who did not 
always act so that his friends could rely upon him, was a man 
who had no friends. No living man will say that Senator Mc- 
Laurin was not true to his friends. No man will say that he 



Address of Mr. Sisson of Mississippi 85 

was not true to the people. You may cast, if you please, what 
criticism and aspersion you like against his administration as 
governor, against his administration as Senator, but out of it 
all there will always loom this mighty virtue of AnsE AIcLaurin, 
as he was commonly called in Mississippi. He was a friend of 
the people, and he never cast a vote knowingly against their 
interests. Never for one moment did he have any other thing 
in his heart but a desire to advance the interests of the people 
and to help the man who toils. 

No poor ever begged of him that he turned away empty 
handed, and the beauty about his charity was that he did not 
give it as you would flip a quarter unwillingly to a beggar to 
be rid of him, but he gave with a tear of sympathy in his eye. 
He gave of his material substance and with it love and sympathy. 
He gave with that sweet charity which rewards the giver more 
than it does him who receives. It can be truly said of him that 
he lived and made the world happier; he lived and made the 
world a little better; he Hved and took from some human eye 
a tear and from some human heart a pang of pain ; he made some 
little child happy and some poor pauper to feel that he was a 
man. If that has been the course and conduct of a man through 
this life, then his life has been a glorious success and not a failure. 
And it was this heart in Senator McLaurin that made him loved 
and respected by the people. 

The tributes to-day to the memory of Senator McLaurin but 
faintly express the esteem for him here in Washington. It will 
ever be a source of gratification to his family and friends in 
Mississippi that words of sorrow and regret at his loss have 
come from the hearts of those who have spoken here. Regard- 
less of party affiliation or section, all the official family in 
Washington deeply regret his departure. Even the bell boys 
of the hotel in which he lived know that they have lost a friend 
and were deeply affected at the news of his death. 



86 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

He was kind to all, however humble in station. 

His greetings were always hearty, his hand shake natural, his 
smiles winning. 

Senator McLaurin never met a stranger, nor did anyone ever 
feel that Senator McLAtrRiN was a stranger. 

He exemplified in his life that he believed that "all men were 
created equal." 

The man of millions was no better in Senator McLaurin's 
eyes than the man who toils for bread. 

The man who toils in any land appealed to him as well as 
those of his own State. 

He forgave his enemies when they asked forgiveness. 

He faced his foes when they challenged him to combat, and 
was a foeman worthy of any man's steel. 

The conflict over, he bore himself a true knight in all his manv 
victories. 

He was a man that neither success nor office ever changed or 
spoiled. 

A confederate soldier, true to the memory of the cause for 
which he fought, yet not a trace of bitterness or sectional hatred 
ever fell from his lips. 

To every message of love and peace from those who fought for 
the Union, he could reply from his heart in kind to them all. 
No Union soldier could extend his hand toward the confederate 
soldier that he would not be the first to grasp it. When our 
friends from the North utter sentiments of love and affection 
for us, the late Senator from Mississippi would be the first to 
extend his thanks for the expression. 

Senator McLaurin was one of those who wore the gray that 
would always say that there was no feeling of hatred against 
those wore tiie blue. This is the feeling of all that noble 
band of heroes who fought for the confederacy. There is not in 
their hearts one particle of pang or feeling toward those who 



Address of Mr. Sisson of Mississippi 87 

gloriously fought for the Union. Brave soldiers on both sides 
respect each other, and Senator McLaurin was one of the 
bravest of those who wore the gray, and when he and they sur- 
rendered it was in good faith, and they all love the flag and our 
common country and will join in writing on the keystone of the 
arch of the Union the words cxto perpetual 

It is glorious to those of us who have inherited this common 
country and whose fathers wore the gray to be able to sav to 
the sons of the fathers who wore the blue, "that across that 
bloody chasm that used to be we have shaken hands." 

It sometimes happens in the course of nature that the earth- 
quake shock rends the mountain chain asunder. The great 
and jagged rocks from either side of the chasm thus made 
frown and glare at each other. The waters rush madly between 
them. It is terrible to look upon. The changing seasons 
come and go. The rocks are worn away and the chasm is gone. 
The trees grow and vines cover them over and hang in festoons 
from their branches. The birds come and fill the air with their 
love notes, and the song of the turtle dove is heard in the land. 
The stranger comes, pauses, and looks only to admire the beauty 
of the scene. 

So is the Union cemented together to-day, with unselfish love 
for the common flag. The stranger comes, pauses, and looks 
only to admire the beauty of the scene. He looks in amaze- 
ment at the sacrifice on both sides. He knows not which to 
most admire, they are so joined together in the bonds of peace, 
glorious peace, and love for a common flag, each ready to do 
or die for the honor of the Republic. All are Americans, and 
feel honored in being such. Our friend that we honor to-day 
was a typical American citizen. What greater thing can be said 
of him ? What honor more could be given him ? 



88 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 



Address of Mr. Dickson of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: Our State has reason for pride; even in the 
strains of sorrow her name is rendered distinguished, when 
to-day her sons are met by those of other States to mingle 
their voices in sympathy mth ours; pride is tempered with 
gratitude. 

The voice of Ohio, through her soldier statesman, is generously 
mingled with that of Kansas and Indiana, Michigan, Alabama, 
and Missouri, to swell the accents of sorrow above the bier 
of Mississippi's departed one. In the unending silence of the 
grave is the absolute democracy of equality. Here the dead, 
each in his narrow cell, keeps the voiceless vigils of unending 
companionship. 

Here we bring to-day the contribution of our State to the 
ever-accumulating increment of the centuries, a contribution of 
our greatness, the name of one which is worthy to live. 

The history of a nation is the chronicles of its people. No 
brighter page adorns the annals of Mississippi throughout the 
ninety-three years of her statehood than that which records the 
services of her sons in the Senate of the Republic. If on no 
other claim to rest her right to distinction, in joint honor with 
her sisters, secure would be her position in history, haloed as it 
is by the signal service of these illustrious ones. . If "To be a 
Roman is greater than a king," by no less of logic or truth, may 
it be said, he who worthily answers to the name of Mississippi 
in this council of the nation is a prince in the realm of freedom. 

With savage stroke, Mr. Speaker, does the "dread Reaper" 
glean in this harvest field. Surely he loves "a shining mark, a 



Address of Mr. Dickson of Mississippi 89 

signal blow." Seven times in the last twelve months have we 
been called to pay this last sad tribute of affection upon the 
altar of memory for a departed friend. "What phantoms we 
are, what phantoms we pursue." 

• Sixty-two years ago in the little village of Brandon, Jliss., 
the spirit of him who is the subject of these exercises, Anselm 
Joseph McL.\urix, was ushered into being. Descended from 
that hardy stock, built by the minglirg blood of Scotch and 
Welsh ancestry, which has contributed with such lavish prodi- 
gality to the rearing of American civilization, young Mc- 
Laurin evinced early and continuously those crowning virtues 
of both strains whicli sealed his life with the signet of success. 
The early impressions which were left by his Christian parents 
on him in this then sparsely settled countrv were such as to 
ignite the spark of self-reliance and into full flame fan the fires 
of his soul for his future conquests and achievements. 

Man is inevitably the resultant product of lineage, environ- 
ment, and culture. Scarce had the callow days of infancy 
passed, when, as a lad of 16, the rude alarm of war greeted 
his ears — till then accustomed only to those peaceful, pastoral 
sounds of home and countryside. Carried by the wave of war 
into that vortex of passion and strife which for four years 
bathed a nation alike in blood and tears, he passed through 
this crucible of test, the pure gold unscathed and untarnished. 
And lo, from the womb of war the lad was born a man ! 

The confederate soldier of 16, clad in his tattered suit of 
gray, surv^eyed the horizon of his fame, his country's future. 
It were well! Though the burdens borne were grievous and 
difficult to be borne, yet they developed in him at this early 
age those powers without which, and without which stress and 
strife, his magnificent energies probably would have lain dor- 
mant, never to rise into activity. 



90 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

When at last the war clouds rolled away and to the shriek 

of shot and shell came again the song of — 

The beautiful bird of the .South, 

That had built its nest in the cannon's mouth — 

the soldier rose to the occasion, sedate, strong, purposeful. 
With assiduity he devoted his powers to the study of the law, 
bringing to it that patient perseverance that alone wins from 
this jealous mistress the reward of her favors. Soon through- 
out the State his fame was spread, in extent commensurate 
with her geographic limits, and extending beyond her confines 
he was known as one who, could a case be won by honorable 
means, would achieve success for that cause. As elsewhere, 
so in Mississippi, the honest, the faithful lawyer, the capable 
man inevitably rises to political preferment at the instance of 
his people. So it was with Senator McL-^urin. 

I would not claim for him that he never sought office. That 
would be false. It is the part and duty of the good citizen, 
who possessing the qualifications essential, to devote these 
endowments to the service of his country. Back of the self- 
seeking, on the part of the distinguished Mississippian, was 
the impelling force of the confidence of his people; their belief 
in his powers was the source from which flowed that stream 
which bore him into places of honor and trust. This confidence 
and belief was never disappointed, and to the end of his splendid 
career his people cheerfully, willingly, yes I may say lovingly, 
committed their interests to his keeping; knowing that while 
there might be others equal in ability, none could be more 
faithful. 

He was not perfect, he was man. There was "One perfect," 
and the}- slew Him. 

Oft upon his head descended the scourging anathema of 
political criticism, emanating from those disappointed in the 
realization of their ambitions or coimter to whose intent the 
purposes of Senator McLaurin ran. 



Address of Mr. Dickson of Mississippi 91 

Insincerity was charged; weakness in that he was loyal to 
friends, too liberal use of the "pardoning power," all were 
laid against him. 

Somewhere, I recall not now, I have read that in the be- 
ginning the Great Designer, conceiving the making of man, 
called into council those attendant ministers about the throne 
of Omnipotence — Justice, Truth, and Mercy — and laying bare to 
them the designs of Deity he asked counsel; in answer. Justice 
first replied, "O God of Justice, make not man, for he will 
trample Thy law beneath his feet and make of Justice a 
mockery on earth." Truth, next summoned, said, "Make not 
man, O God of Truth, for he will per\'ert Thine own word, 
Thou God of Truth, and make of verity a mockery in the 
land." But Mercy, next in turn summoned, meekly came and 
said "Make him, O Thou God of Mercy, and give him into my 
keeping, and I will guide his footsteps and guard his walk 
on earth." And He made him and said, "Go, thou child of 
Mercv, and minister to thy fellows." Obedient to that inspira- 
tion, God-given and God-felt, Anselm McL.\urin lived, acted, 
and died. By the God of Truth, in the light of Justice, and by 
tha measure of Mercy, is he rewarded. 

To the charge of insincerity I demur, and to the alleged 
weakness in that he was faithful to friends I plead concur- 
rence. To the charge of leniency in the use of the power of 
pardon, I do not know, nor do I care; but if true, I answer, 
"If he leaned to Mercy's side, in mercy is he forgiven." 

Senator McLaurin occupied almost all stations official in the 
catalogue of the public service of Mississippi. Loyalty charac- 
terized the attachment of those who followed his personal and 
political fortunes. Friendship was his talisman, and the un- 
varying majority attending his every political contest serves 
as an eloquent eulogium of his hold upon the hearts of his 
people. -He was a warrior without defeat, a victor without 



92 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

disdain. No sun ever set upon that field of strife whereon he 
was a contestant that marked the traiUng of his banner in 
the wake of the conquered. 

His last years were his most illustrious, in that he lived a 
life that was a lesson luminous and illustrative of the best. 
The majestic Christian walked hand in hand with the accom- 
plished statesman. 

To him who speaks it was permitted to see him last of all 
who here with him served. Two days after the Thanksgiving 
of the nation 1 met him. It was after something of a taxing 
journey. The salutations passed, he said, "Will, I am tired. 
The doctor says the valve of my heart is leaking." It was too 
true. Through that greatest of his parts his splendid soul was 
finding an ebbing place. As came the Christmastide, the re- 
curring season remindful of the :\Iaster's birth, in the heart 
of his family, saying "I feel better to-day," after a season of 
depression, his majestic soul took its flight, without further 
warning. 

Just a day after, in the little city of Brandon, off to one side 
in God's chosen acre, where "the rude forefathers of the 
hamlet sleep," they laid him in the gentle bosom of his mother. 
There at last in his windowless tenement he rests. The "dead 
Douglas" has won the field; and in this his last triumph we see 
his greatest victory. He conquered self, but bent to none but 
God, and lived as one who might say of the irrevocable past, 

Out of the night that covers me, 

Black as the pit from pole to pole, 
I thank whatever gods there be 

For my unconquerable soul. 

In the strong stress of circumstance 

I have not winced nor cried aloud; 
Under the bludgconings of chance 

My head is bloody but unbowed. 



Address of Mr. Dickson of Mississippi 93 

Beyond this vale of wrath and tears 

Looms a bright vista through the shade, 

So that the menace of the years 
Joyfully finds me unafraid. 

It matters not how strait the gate, 

How charged with punishment the goal, 

I am the master of my fate. 
I am the captain of my soul. 

In the grave, common receptacle of all, we are equals. 

Nor to this ultimate tribunal was it needed that Senator 
McLaurin should appeal for the vindication of men. 

He needed not the emblem of rank to mark his leadership. 

At last, to that court from which there is not appeal he 
has submitted his cause. 

Before that fateful portal, where place and station are not 
known, he stands. 

The process of reason can not wrest, the symphony of song 
can not induce, nor the honeyed words of suasion exact a favor- 
ing verdict from this dread tribunal. 

There povertv meets in equal status the minions of Mam- 
mon, and Lazarus is unashamed of his rags. 

There poverty has its premium and riches its discount. 

There ostentation disrobes, the obsequious unmasks, the 
laborer receives his hire, the deceiver his reward. 

The Herald of that Court cries eternal justice, and from 
His cry there is no appeal. 

Here the arm of infancy is matched in strength with the 
mighty, and at this forum Mercy has ever her day and Justice 
renders the decree eternal. 

The glory of his life consists not in the victories that he won 
at the bar, nor in the eloquence that distinguished him, nor in 
offices of position and honor with which his people intrusted 
him, but his fame reposes and will rest upon that pedestal 



94 Memorial Addresses: Senator McLaurin 

framed in the faith that is born of the love of a people who 
throughout a long career honored him ever and without 
faltering. 

In this confidence, in this faith, in this love of his country- 
men, Senator A. J. McLaurin, could he speak to-day, might 
truthfully exclaim — 

Exigi raonumentum , iere perennius. 



Address of Mr. Bennet of New York 95 



Address of Mk. Benmt of New York 

Mr. Speaker, Senator McLaurin is a pleasant memory to all 
those who knew him. He was a courteous gentleman of the 
type which, unfortunately for ourselves, we allude to as the 
"old school." Kindly, considerate, and helpful, he made new 
friends daily and rarely lost one. ^My own acquaintance with 
him was closest during his brief membership on the Immigra- 
tion Comniission, though before that we had been members of 
the conference committee on the immigration bill of 1907. 
There was about him an air of genial companionship, of broad 
toleration, of real interest, which was irresistible. His State 
had honored him greatly, but he had honored her always 
by straightforward, useful service. 

We shall miss him. A certain soldierly directness always 
spoke the long service of his stripHng youth; a certain brevity 
of speech and poise of manner, a successful executive; a com- 
plete knowledge of the principles of the law, the studious and 
successful lawj'er. 

And so, with a life rounded and complete, he has passed over. 
But ever, as we think of him, he will be here, and always as a 
pleasant thought. In the life of long ago we shall still see the 
boy soldier; in the nearer years, the advocate and the states- 
man; but ever in thought the courtly gentleman strolling through 
the paths of a southern garden between the flowers, with the 
sunbeams of a kindly morning scarcely more radiant than his 
gracious presence. 

O 



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LEAp'll 



